The Great Reshuffle is all about flexibility

Jul 15, 2022
The Great Reshuffle is all about flexibility

The demand for flexibility (homeworking, flexible working hours, 4-day week) is now the major demand of employees in the labour market. It is now up to companies to respond to this demand. Unquestionably, a revolution is underway.

Is Madi Mucha the future of work? The 24-year-old British Gen Zer has decided to work exclusively at remote [1]. But rather than working from a fixed location, she has chosen to do so from the four corners of the world.

Since July 2021, when she joined her new company, this account manager has carried out her missions while traveling on three continents: Central and South America (Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica), Europe (Italy, France, Belgium) and Africa (Kenya).

Very satisfied with her lifestyle (which even allows her to save money, she explains), she advises all those who would like to do the same to favor jobs labeled "remote". And if the latest research is any indication, more and more employees will want to follow Madi's lead.

From the Great Resignation to the Great Reshuffle

Referred to as the Great Resignation (or Big Quit), the wave of resignations that saw 48 million employees in the U.S. leave their jobs has not dried up in 2022. In the first two months of the year, 8.6 million people have already chosen to go elsewhere. And according to forecasts, 55% of American employees (including, in a new trend, more and more managers) could do the same. They are not the only ones. The trend is now global.

Let’s turn to France. According to figures reported by Capital magazine, the Dares - the statistics department of the Ministry of Labor - counted a record figure of more than 400,000 resignations in the third quarter of 2021. In two years, from July 2019 to July 2021, the proportion jumped by 20%. In fact, permanent contract terminations are at their highest since 2007.

To understand what is no longer an epiphenomenon linked to the aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis, but rather a fundamental trend, we should no longer speak of the Great Resignation, but rather of the Great Reshuffle, which is currently affecting the labor market. It is driven by the demand for flexibility from employees; a demand that is found in all sectors of the economy.

The key word: flexibility

For Nick Lillios, CEO of payroll technology company Nowsta, the case is clear2: "If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that flexibility is key in all aspects of life. More specifically, flexibility in the workforce is in high demand. We’ve transformed the way we’ve worked and it will only accelerate in the coming years. Not only are employers seeing the benefit of this way of work, but employees are more empowered to take a hold of their work-life balance."

2022, the year of flexibility? It's certainly shaping up to be. As revealed in the report "People at Work 2022: The Workforce View Study", released on Wednesday, July 13 by the ADP Research Institute, more than half of 18-24 year old (53%) say they would be willing to quit their jobs if they couldn't telecommute to their company. And, more than a quarter (27%) of 18-34 year old this time say that flexibility is what they want most in a job .

This is a demand that companies need to address or they will lose the best talents in the market. Data from the LinkedIn 2022 Global Talent Trends survey shows it. According to the survey, employees who are satisfied with their company's time and location flexibility are 2.6 times more likely to report being satisfied and 2.1 times more likely to recommend working for the company.

[1] Wales on line (08/07/2022)

[2] CNBC (17/03/2022)

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