In November, 49,000 people in Connecticut quit their jobs. That number was up from the previous two months as the nation's "Great Resignation" continued.
NBC Connecticut's Dan Corcoran spoke with employment attorney Nina Pirrotti, a partner with Garrison Law, about the trend.
Dan: "What has happened that might be inspiring more people to suddenly leave their jobs?"
Nina: "Dan, I think this phenomenon can be summarized by a single word, and that word is ‘opportunity’. And those opportunities have only increased since we last spoke. As the job market continues to have a glut of available jobs open, employees are going to be seeking out those jobs and looking for greener pastures. And this phenomenon will continue as long as that current state of the economy continues."
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Dan: "The Bureau of Labor Statistics says the number of job openings in Connecticut is up a bit too. What kind of things might people be looking for as they start the job search?"
Nina: "A whole array of considerations and, of course, they start with pay, but they go well beyond that. They go to flexibility. They go to not only flexibility in hours, but maybe flexibility at work environment, whether that's limited commute or no commute working virtually, They go to upward mobility in their workplace. Do they have opportunities to grow and expand and to be elevated into promoted situations or not? And while these opportunities for advancement are very much alive and strong among the younger workforce, I do believe – and in my practice - have experienced that employees as they get older, still face challenges and finding new and rewarding opportunities after they are separated from an employer."
Dan: "For employers who are probably a little worried about this "Great Resignation," what should they be considering to keep their employees?"
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Nina: "I think employers should be thinking about what they can do to make that workplace as fulfilling as possible so that the employee won't even think about leaving. And you know what? Part of that is just this intangible feeling that an employee gets that they are an integral part of the team, that their employer really genuinely cares about them as an individual, not a cog in a wheel, not a number of their workforce - someone who really just cares about them as individuals."
