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QUITS DIARIES: Meet 38 people who joined the Great Resignation in search of a more balanced life
QUITS DIARIES: Meet 38 people who joined the Great Resignation in search of a more balanced life
Juliana Kaplan,Madison HoffMar 13, 2022, 16:35 IST
Savanna Durr/Insider
It's quitting time in America.
For nearly a year, Americans have been quitting their jobs at record-breaking rates in a phenomenon that the organizational psychologist Anthony Klotz has dubbed the Great Resignation. Over that time, Insider has spoken with dozens of Americans who left their jobs in search of a better deal, citing everything from low pay to high stress to a lack of childcare.
The resigning hasn't slowed, even with huge upticks in jobs and hiring. It stayed strong as enhanced unemployment insurance ended in September and as the Omicron variant started to spread across the US.
For some workers, the issues of mortality and meaning that a life-altering event like a pandemic brings up prompted them to leave behind work they're not passionate about or to follow a path they've always dreamed of. Still others are dealing with young children who can't be vaccinated yet, quitting jobs to remain in a pandemic limbo. Some uprooted themselves during the pandemic to be closer to loved ones; others burned out.
And some people just heard about everyone else quitting and decided to do it themselves. A recent study suggested that a lot of low-wage jobs would be unsustainable if workers knew how much money they could make elsewhere.
One inference is that if workers learned what they could make somewhere else, they might ask for more money or quit. Perhaps they've learned that information through, say, wall-to-wallnews coverage of workers quitting.
Indeed, over the past nine months Insider has spoken with some of the millions of people who make up the Great Resignation. Here are their stories.
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Meet a former probation officer who quit after 12 years because the 'mental exhaustion and stress' became too much: 'I needed to achieve some kind of level of happiness for myself'
Juan Antonio Sorto, 36, now works in community development.Juan Antonio Sorto
A Gen Zer who quit 2 jobs during the pandemic says it's time to seize the day: 'There are so many openings in my area and I know what I'm worth'
Brandon Holland, 24, could be the poster child for the Great Resignation. He's quit two jobs during the pandemic: one at Starbucks and the other in retail. He left his first role out of pandemic stress. After leaving the second, he realized that "there's something new" wherever he goes, he said.
"I don't want to work every Saturday or Sunday morning," Holland said. "Why can't I find something that's going to pay the bills and be a Monday-through-Friday job and treat me well?"
Meet a mom and teacher who hasn't been able to work because childcare is so unpredictable: 'I was way behind on work and completely stressed, not sleeping'
Laura Danger.Laura Danger
An accountant got $20,000 in student debt wiped out. 5 months later, he quit his job and ran for office.
David O'Keefe, 36, has had a burden lifted. His $20,000 worth of student loans were wiped out under the federal Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. He had been making payments for 10 years.
He left his job as an accountant and decided to run for county commissioner in Tallahassee, Florida — something he said wouldn't have been a possibility without his loan forgiveness.
"I think for a lot of people in my generation, feeling useful and having a sense of purpose is very important," O'Keefe said. "But it's very difficult to do with the realities of our financial situation."
Why I quit PR agencies: 5 public-relations pros explain why they left and share tips for former colleagues
Shanee Cohen
Meet a 40-year-old millennial who joined the Great Resignation because her employer wouldn't let her work remotely: 'I chose to be happy'
Like many others, Leila had worked remotely at one point during the pandemic. She said she loved "every bit of it."
By the time staff members were asked to return to the office in January 2021, Leila, 40, was working evening or weekend shifts. The new hours were part of a vicious cycle that's both in reaction to and driving the Great Resignation: companies working employees more to compensate for turnover.
Leila said she was "ready to get out, even if it meant leaving a job that I loved," to "heal from the bullying, toxicity, and undo stress it was causing to my marriage and family life."
Meet a former teacher of 11 years who became a plumbing apprentice during the pandemic: 'I think the trades are an undervalued career path'
Carly Carey.Carly Carey
A 36-year-old millennial explains 4 reasons she has no regrets about joining the Great Resignation: 'I made a choice for me'
As a millennial, Sana appreciates the "seller's market" for workers. For most of her professional life she was vying for a role in a buyer's market, where employers would have their pick of qualified candidates for limited roles.
"In 2008 we started taking jobs that we were way overqualified for and learned how to be humble," she said of her generation. "Now we finally feel the value we so desperately craved over a decade ago."
Why I quit the agency world: 7 advertising pros share why they left and what advice they'd give former colleagues
Zachary Walker, an agency vet who now works at Cresco Labs.Zachary Walker
I quit my job when my company required us to come back to the office. Here's why.
For one public-relations employee, the news that their job would be moving to a hybrid schedule, with two days in the office and three at home, was the final straw.
As someone with endometriosis, they can experience extreme pain. Working at home gave them everything they needed to recover from a pain flare. Plus, they said they were getting more done at home: When they went into the office one day, they got about 20% of their usual work done.
"The whole situation made me get the message loud and clear: We weren't valued as employees," they said. "We were just numbers to our bosses, workhorses cranking out new business and awards. That was the priority."
A McDonald's worker quit her job and says she now earns up to $10,000 a month making TikToks for Walmart, Heinz, and Kroger
Maddison Peel
A Chipotle general manager and 4 of his employees quit after a surge of to-go orders drove them to their breaking points
Chipotle employees in Austin, Texas, said they were up against short staffing and an influx of orders. On November 14, five workers quit — including a general manager.
Peter Guerra had worked at Chipotle for five years and had been a general manager for six months. He said his store in Austin was "severely understaffed," as he was scheduled to work 80 hours a week and often worked even more to help cover staffing gaps.
"I thought, 'This is literally going to kill me if I keep it up,'" Guerra said.
How a social worker quit her job to run a 6-figure doggie daycare and spa with 1,400 clients
Courtney McWilliams
Why I quit Big Law: 4 lawyers reveal why they left top firms, and their message to former colleagues
Big law firms were already known for long hours. Employees were inundated with even more work last year, while firms tried to lure new workers with big bonuses.
But for many associates, that isn't enough. Insider spoke with four former (or about to be former) associates about why they chose to leave.
"It came to the point where I was comfortable making less money and having more free time," a former associate said. "For me, it was about control over my own time."
An ICU nurse went viral for quitting after 19 grueling months of the pandemic. Now he says he's more relaxed and is encouraging other healthcare workers to do the same.
Andrew Hudson
I moved across the country for my dream job, then I realized it wasn't worth it. Here's what it taught me.
One travel-industry worker got what they called their "dream job" in 2019, and it required a move from Portland to Tennessee. Things quickly went downhill from there.
"I was scared of becoming a millennial stereotype — unemployed and living at home — but my dad pointed out that I had the freedom to look for a new job with very few living expenses," they told Insider.
I landed a remote job with a $20,000 pay raise after growing disillusioned with teaching — here's how I made the switch
Mollie Breese.Nicholas Larghi/@nlarghi
My coworkers refused to get vaccinated. So, I quit.
A veterinarian said they quit their job because they couldn't risk exposure to coworkers who refused to get vaccinated.
"If I wouldn't send a dog to a kennel where vaccinations were optional, why would I stay at my work?" they wrote. "I have small children who cannot yet be vaccinated and older parents who help tend to them. Close and consistent exposure to unvaccinated staff puts my family at increased risk."
I'm a former preschool teacher who now makes a living as a BBW model on OnlyFans. I make more money and spend less time working.
Danielle Zavala
I was scared to quit a job I hated because it felt safe. Leaving taught me that my happiness was worth more.
Despite constant exposure to people during the pandemic, one grocery-store worker thought it was safer to keep their job — and insurance — than to be without.
"Like so many other people who have reevaluated their work lives in the Great Resignation, I had to leave a job I cared about because I wasn't valued," they told Insider. "I was an essential worker. But then, the conversation shifted, and people started being selfish again."
4 Big Auto veterans tell us why they quit Ford, GM, and Mercedes for EV and self-driving startups — and share advice for those who want to make the jump
Xos Trucks
A public-relations pro quit to start her own firm and surpassed her agency salary in 4 months. Here's how she did it.
Ashley Mann, the founder and owner of Pinegrove Public Relations.Ashley Mann, founder and owner of Pinegrove Public Relations