The Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a shake-up in the way we work and what we expect from our jobs, and while this has been a boon for some, it has also caused great uncertainty .
The so-called “great resignation” or “the big quit” has seen many workers – particularly early careerists – change jobs in the last 18 months or so. While the term was coined in the United States, there has also been a noteworthy exodus from jobs in Ireland among younger workers in particular – often triggered by the ability to work remotely. However, it’s not always plain sailing.
“Four out of my core group of seven college friends moved jobs since the pandemic started,” says one 25-year-old tech executive who also switched jobs in the last year.
Instead of changing jobs, some workers changed location, leaving big cities to rent cheaper accommodation abroad or in rural locations in Ireland when working from home.
“The drawback of these decisions to work further from the office is the uncertainty around when we will have to be back in offices. We still don’t whether we will be back in office in February/March or if we will all continue working in different locations. What happens if your company wants you back in the offices for two core team days each week? This uncertainty also makes it harder to plan your career and to know what promotion opportunities there will be,” says another Dublin-based tech employee.
Research into the impact on work of the pandemic has found that companies that want to retain and attract talent will be well advised to offer hybrid and remote working options going forward.
Kevin Quigley, a business psychologist with Seven, says it will be different for certain organisations but the myth that people are less productive at home has been broken by the pandemic. “It is more difficult to build bonds with new teams online and some meetings are more effective in person but with the correct set-ups, people have worked well from home,” he says.
He suggests that early career workers missed out most from not being in the office environment. “They missed out on the mixing in the workplace where lifelong relationships are built up and they missed out on learning from more senior staff.”
His colleague at Seven, Kerry Cullen, says that perhaps surprisingly, people can be daunted about returning to offices even if it’s what they think they want. “Workers can feel anxious about being back working with other people even if they tell themselves they should be fine and that they know these people. Some people will find themselves constantly reading the environment for cues of safety or danger.”
Remote working worked better for some than others. “Some people thrived with remote working, finding opportunities to go out for more walks but others struggled with back-to-back Zooms and had less clear boundaries about signing off on their day,” says Cullen, who is a psychologist and corporate coach.
Some workers missed their daily commute to work and habits such as going to the gym on the way home. Cullen says that, ultimately, workers seem to prefer a hybrid arrangement.
“The days of everyone being back in the office are over for the next few years, which is sad because it’s so sociable,” says one 20-something worker who has been working remotely since the pandemic began. When everyone returns, she says some people won’t be comfortable.
“Anyone who is nervous about picking up the virus from an unvaccinated co-worker should be comfortable to discuss that with their manager to be approved on an exceptional basis not to go back into the office,” she adds.
