A loyalty inflection point

In May, Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management at Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School, coined the term “Great Resignation.” He correctly predicted that, as the pandemic subsides, the “would-be quitters” who “sheltered in place” in 2020 were likely to carry out their plans to leave their employers. Klotz observed that there were close to 6 million fewer resignations in the US during 2020 than there were in 2019.

According to him, “what we’re seeing now is a clear decrease in organizational commitment due to a confluence of factors.” Repeating McDowall, he says that workers have acquired another viewpoint on what’s really vital to them – “the pandemic carried demise to our doorstep and that makes individuals reflect” — yet there are likewise other significant justifications for why loyalties have faltered.

“Work occupies a significant portion of who we are. Identities changed during the pandemic. People spent more time with their families, and some might have thought more about starting their own business, starting a side business, or doing other things they enjoyed outside of their day job,” he says. It’s very conceivable that many individuals never again characterize themselves as much through their positions as they used to.” That, Klotz expounds, “implies that they are less sincerely connected to their boss”.