In the United States alone, more than 20 million employees left their jobs in 2021. The Great Resignation, as it is called, also reaches Europe. A large scale of resignation from work was recorded, among others, in Great Britain. However, will we have to deal with mass redundancies in Poland? What will be the future of the domestic labor market?
In the country on the Vistula River, 80% of employees during the pandemic did not work a single day remotely. On the other hand, overload from remote work, isolation from people and the lack of a distinction between private life and work are the main reasons for the mass abandonment of work too much. “In Poland, we have five main branches of the economy and none of them is suitable for a complete transition to remote or even hybrid work. Production, transport, construction, trade and agriculture operate stationary, even at strictly defined hours. In addition, I have the impression that in the case of the Great Resignation in the USA, the causes are a bit confused with the effects. It is the employers’ responsibility to organize work in such a way that office workers will feel the effects of a forced transition to a remote or hybrid work mode in a minimal way. Where it has not been possible, we see its effects,” says Andrzej Kubisiak from the Polish Economic Institute.
“When it comes to Poland, I think that we are dealing with a Big Rotation, due to the current economic situation, inflation and the increase in the cost of living, few people will be able to afford a longer break from work. Poles are rather looking for new opportunities,” adds Kubisiak.
In Poland, unemployment in April this year amounted to 5.2% and has been stable for months. However, since the beginning of the year, there has been a lot of movement in the number of recruitment advertisements. According to the analysis of the 50 largest recruitment portals, the number of advertisements increased by 37% compared to the same period. The office workers themselves had minimal experience with remote work until the pandemic. It is estimated that before the pandemic, only about 5% of 5 million Polish office workers worked from home. – The pandemic turned our world upside down. It caused enormous stress, and where the work balance was upset, thoughts about change began to emerge among employees. And although we are already in the new normality, some experiences cannot be forgotten – both positive and negative. Employers are currently facing the challenge of adapting to new conditions, including hybrid work. Here, systemic solutions are needed that will be universal for the entire organization – says Martyna Matusik, psychologist and career advisor.
The need for systemic solutions is also associated with new regulations on remote work. This is where technology can help, among other things, to facilitate the settlement of hybrid work.
“A significant part of employees who worked remotely during the pandemic, currently expect the employer to continue working in the hybrid model. This is a big challenge because without the support of technology it will be difficult to manage the so-called “hot desks”, let alone work time billing. HR departments understand that without a flexible approach to the new reality, the company will start to lose employees. Today, tools supporting hybrid work are not only a practical solution to the challenges related to the new legislation, but above all an element of ensuring a good experience for employees. Today, “Employee Experience” is designed similarly to “user experience”, and the stake for a bad – or not designed experience at all is often the risk of losing an employee,” says Jacek Ratajczak, CEO of Zonifero, a company providing an application supporting the employee and the employer in the field of hybrid work.
“I think that the candidates will judge the employer as a product, through the prism of the number of stars, and an important factor will be how we have adapted to the new conditions. How we respond to the individual needs of employees. Among other things, an inclusive workplace is gaining importance, i.e. one in which everyone can feel good and safe,” sums up Katarzyna Salamończyk-Napierska from Volkswagen Poznań.
In the reality that surrounds us, the American “Great Resignation” is unlikely to apply to the Polish labor market. What will become a sign of our times, however, is the “Great Rotation”. There are several ways to reduce this phenomenon, but experts agree that the topic cannot be sleepy, and its solution should be approached systematically. Today, building employee experience is one of the most important challenges for any organization that wants to function efficiently in the new post-pandemic office reality.
