The ‘Great Resignation’ that led to widespread staff shortages during the pandemic shows signs of turning into the ‘Great Regret’ – with a new poll finding that more than two thirds of Irish employees are willing to return to their pre-pandemic jobs.
A survey of 2,000 professionals by recruiter Robert Walters found that 69pc of them were open to returning to their previous workplace, with 45pc of this cohort saying that their current employer was no longer meeting their needs.
A third of these so-called ‘boomerang workers’ cited the cost-of-living crisis for changing how they feel about their employment situation, while a quarter blamed hybrid-working fatigue.
The 43pc of workers who had left their job after Covid did so for better pay, with 37pc leaving for a better workplace culture or for more purpose and fulfilment in their roles.
“Across 2021, we saw record pay rises offered to professionals, with promises of a flexible and hybrid culture,” said Suzanne Feeney, country manager at Robert Walters Ireland.
“Come 2023, and these pay rises now pale in comparison to the rising cost of living, with those new starters who were offered inflated salaries being much less likely to have received a pay increase this year.
“It appears that workers are realising the grass may not have been greener after all.
“The post-pandemic bounce-back saw record numbers of employees leave their job in what was billed the ‘Great Resignation.’ However, our research indicates the first signs of the ‘Great Regret’ – with an overwhelming number of professionals stating that they would be willing to return to their pre-Covid employer, a mere 18 months after leaving.”
The ‘Great Resignation’ was a trend first noticed in the US, where quit levels rose in 2021 amid the disruption caused by Covid, with workers apparently ditching unfulfilling jobs, seeking new challenges, and pursuing long-deferred dreams.
In Ireland, a 2021 survey of 1,000 employees by the WorkFutures Lab at the University of Limerick’s Kemmy Business School found around 40pc of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “my future career lies outside of this organisation”.
The latest survey showed that 80pc of professionals have kept in contact with a previous manager to some degree, with 31pc attributing this to wanting to keep a foot in the door.
A quarter of professionals admitted to reaching out to a previous employer in the past year about job opportunities, with a further 10pc stating that they had not yet done so but intended to make contact.
However, boomerang employees may find their previous employer unwilling to embrace them back into the fold.
The survey found that 46pc of managers are hesitant to welcome back a former employee, with just a fifth stating that they would consider it if the worker had been ‘exceptional’ employee.
“I’m afraid managers and employers need to swallow their pride here,” Feeney said.
“In what is still one of the most candidate-short markets in decades, the idea that a pool of talent is open to joining your company should be music to your ears.”