What Have I Learned During Covid and the Great Resignation?

November 30, 2021: Question Series #21

Written By: Marc Moskowitz

It’s been a long eighteen months of isolation, video calls, travel bans, mask mandates, and changing corporate landscapes. For those of us that traveled to various places around the country/globe to help build relationships and deliver needed messaging, it’s been a big adjustment overall. Video calls and working from home 100% of the time can only take you so far, especially as a leader. Hopefully, the latest data and trends will continue to open up travel on all fronts and bring people back together regularly.

If you’re wondering by my opening statement if I’m an advocate for getting everyone back into the office all the time, I am not. I’m a huge advocate of flexibility and common sense when it comes to the future of work. I’ve enjoyed my extra time at home with the family and know that many people benefit significantly from working remotely on a regular basis. That said, I believe having some in-office time and in-person team meetings affords excellent opportunities for both employees and companies.

Why have I tied the “Great Resignation” into COVID? Many of us have taken time to reflect on our jobs and how they have impacted our lives throughout this crisis. Further, companies have also had time to adjust policies, support employees, and show their true colors surrounding their corporate cultures. It has been a perfect storm of self-reflections, changing corporate landscapes, and the hottest global job market in twenty-five-plus years. This has led to many people leaving their jobs and finding what is most important to them in their new roles, including yours truly. As such, I wanted to reflect on this and give inspiration to those asking the same kinds of questions that I did.

The list below reflects a potpourri of some learning points, inspiration points, and trends I’ve taken since the COVID crisis began. Many of them I’ve experienced myself and others are collected from my interactions with friends, colleagues, and key leaders in my sphere. I hope these are helpful as you think about what is most important and your overall career objectives:

Working remotely is great, but being in isolation for long periods is very tough and unsustainable for most. Even my fellow introverts can only take so much of this! If you’re 100% remote, take the time to get out and meet with others to talk shop. It will brighten your day and keep you motivated and in touch with good one-on-one communication. Pro Tip: Invite people to outdoor lunch or happy hour spots. Look for inspirational people that you have never met before, too. It’s a great way to network.

If you believe you’ll continue to work most of the time remotely, make sure your home office is as comfortable as you can afford to make it. From your chair to your monitors, to the pictures on the wall, make it comfortable and high-tech if you’re spending forty-plus hours a week there. I’ve personally put in much time over the last year and a half to update my office both aesthetically and functionally. I can’t tell you how much I love my new 4K monitors and how they’ve added to my productivity (not to mention the eye-strain improvements). They replaced monitors that were outdated and causing me to get headaches. I still see too many people using make-shift offices that don’t look too comfortable or productive. Pro Tip: There are many high-end/quality, used office furniture these days because of office closures. You’ll be surprised at what you can find for a reasonable price!

Determine what matters to you most in your life and career. There is no wrong answer, and it’s up to each individual to determine. Once you figure it out, make a plan to get there and stick to it. Where there is a will, there is always a way, even if it’s complex and full of obstacles. Hire a career coach if you think you need one. Pro Tip: Make a list of what matters to you most in rank order and start evaluating your options and putting together a plan. I did this towards the end of last year, and it guided my decisions on what was next for me. I went through a lot of options and interviews before I found what I wanted. It was worth the effort!

Take the chance to make a significant change if you have the opportunity. You’re betting on yourself in the long run and aligning to your career and life goals. Even if things don’t work out as you intended, you’ll always learn something from the chance you took. Further, making that change is one of the most exhilarating things you can do! I’ve just done this myself, and I’ll have no regrets, no matter what happens. Pro Tip: Make sure you have at least four months of living expenses saved before you take a big chance. It’s a backup plan if something doesn’t go your way, and you should already have this, regardless of taking a big chance or not.

If you haven’t looked for that next big thing, why not (especially if you are unhappy with your current situation)? If you’re happy and your current role is aligned with what you want, then that’s awesome! If you’re not, get looking for that dream job/situation. It’s out there, and so is the excellent leadership that goes with it. That perfect combination is not easy to find, but persistence pays off. You can’t win if you are not playing the game! Pro Tip: If you decide to start looking for that next big thing, make sure your on-line footprint is up to date (i.e. LinkedIn) and matches any other materials (i.e. CV/Resume) that you might send to someone. As for your LinkedIn profile, make sure it is 100% perfect and reflective of who you are. It is more important than ever.

If you are looking at a new company/job, look at the leadership you’ll be working for more than anything else. In these new post-COVID times, it matters more than ever. Make sure you will work for great leadership who has compassion yet the strength to do the right things for their employees and the company. Pro Tip: Don’t just look at your direct leadership, but look at the company’s overall leadership as well. More than ever, your direct leadership has less authority than in the past, and only the C-Suite has the influence to get things done. It used to be that most employees left a job because of their direct manager, but the trend I’m seeing is that people are leaving the executive leadership more often now. It’s all about the corporate culture and how the leaders are influencing it.

If you’re working for a large company, take a keen interest in what the executive leadership has done over the last year and a half and where they are going post-COVID. You can tell an enormous amount about your leaders by how they treat employees during hard times. Pro Tip: Don’t just look at their manufactured PRs and communications; look at their actions. I’ve seen considerable discrepancies in this regard. Saying the right things and doing the opposite is far too common these days.

If you’re a leader that has just made a change and you left a team behind, always make sure to let them know you’re there if they need you. My philosophy has always been that once you are on my team, you are family. I believe it’s the least you can do for those that have worked hard to make you look good. Pro-Tip: Organize calls or happy hours from time to time with your old team. They’ll appreciate it, and it’s a great way to keep relationships and friendships alive. You never know when you may need one another.

Be a friend to those in need. COVID has left us with a crazy employment market. It’s both hot and cold. There are more job openings at all levels than I have seen in my lifetime, yet many companies are still shedding jobs in all sectors. You will undoubtedly have colleagues, former colleagues, friends, and others that need some help. Take your knowledge and time to help them out when asked. Be proactive also. You never know when that good karma will come back around to you. Pro-Tip: Just do it!

I hope these thoughts have sparked some ideas and maybe some motivation to make that leap you’ve wanted for some time. As we always do at The Question Series, we always want others to share ideas and learn, so we’re looking forward to what you have to contribute.

Thanks for reading!

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