The first time I was asked to return to the office after a long lockdown, the company I worked for at the time simply wanted all bums back in all seats, to hell with what employees wanted. At least that’s how it felt when an email gave us a return-to-work date and a vague offer to discuss a more flexible work arrangement with our manager. In other words: it’s over, guys...

It didn’t take long for certain part of the business to feel the disillusionment these kinds of comms created: resignation after resignation poured in, especially in areas of the company where people were given the least amount of time to adjust. Perhaps it would have gone better for this company if everywhere else, other companies were behaving in a similar way. But with plenty of corporates sharing their new hybrid work models, the grass was so much greener in every other paddock.

Statistics back this up: According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 4 million Americans quit their jobs in July 2021. Resignations peaked in April and have remained abnormally high for the last several months, with a record-breaking 10.9 million open jobs at the end of July. Most interestingly, while turnover is usually highest with workers 20 to 25 years of age, employees between 30 and 45 years old are taking the lead with an increase of almost 20 percent this year and last. And it’s not just the US - it’s happening everywhere, as companies watch their corporate DNA flow out of the buildings. 

Fast forward to my most recent return to work, at a new company, and the comms around how and when we are needed back in the office couldn’t be more different. They are gentle. Considerate, even. Employees are being given time. We are being asked to discuss the balance between office and home that might work for us. I commented to a colleague, “it seems so…reasonable.” He scoffed: “that’s because they are terrified we’re all going to leave. We’ve opened Pandora’s Box so to speak, and no-one wants to be forced back into that fluorescent, air-conditioned box again.” 

Business analysts have been musing that this isn’t so much about workers feeling negative about returning to office work, but more a shift towards optimism. Suddenly, with so many forward-thinking companies putting remote working arrangements on the table for everyone, we’re no longer shackled to expensive cities. Or commutes. Or rushing home from long days in draining offices, just in time to kiss our children goodnight. 

We are daring to say: Thanks, but no thanks. We can do better. 

I have friends (hard-working architects, used to long hours and very little work-life balance) who have relocated with their kids from cramped, urban living to a rambling home on acres of land near the beach. A decent wifi connection and nice community were the only real factors they needed to consider. They found themselves in companies that believe culture and connection don’t require a conference room and rows of desks in a high-rise. I hate that when I think of my friends enjoying their tree change, there is that voice that wonders: “what if they, the companies with all the remote opportunities, change their mind?” 

The truth is right now, employees have more power than ever — if we are willing to seize it. Another friend of mine, Julie, recently quit a job she’d only been in for six months. She is interviewing with other firms, and feels confident she’ll have another role soon. “I was burnt out, weighed down by endless Teams meetings, being micromanaged and then when I did deliver, there was no credit from my male-dominated team. I vocalised my concerns, and no-one listened. It’s just not good enough.” She is already weighing up an offer from one firm who are happy for her to start the role in the US when she visits her family, and don’t mind when she can next get into the Sydney office. “That’s the kind of flex and care and trust I’m looking for.”

There was a time when a good job was one with a nice office, decent salary and a couple of perks. Maybe a half-decent Christmas party and snacks in the kitchen. Now, we want to work for companies that understand something behavioural economists call the psychological contract, which exists between employers and employees, has changed. Rather than look for an employer that provides a decent work life, we want work that enables us to actually have a life, full of complexities and demands and juggle. That is something well-worth quitting our jobs to find.