What are the 'Great Resignation' and 'Great Renegotiation'?

NEW YORK - Gigi Robinson left her corporate job during the pandemic to become her own boss. She founded a company called It's Gigi. The business specializes in creative social media production. 

"I have a chronic illness, so managing social media accounts during a nine to five didn't always work for me versus now I run my own business, I can work whatever hours I want," she said. "I can go take a nap or go out for a walk whenever I want and take the breaks that I actually need to manage my chronic illness and my business all at once." 

The global health crisis is driving what some are calling the Great Resignation. Research shows that 33 million workers in the United States quit their jobs since the spring of 2021.

Certain industries are losing more employees than others, according to Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's senior editor for job search and careers.

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"We're seeing a lot of frontline health care workers who are leaving because of burnout but then on top of that we're seeing it in hospitality, food services and retail because these people are dealing with the public," Seaman said.

The pandemic has prompted many workers to reevaluate how they work and what's really important. Many want to keep the jobs they have but do so on their own new terms. 

"First, they want better pay. Two, they want more flexibility — they want the ability to work where they want, when they want and where they can do the best work," Seaman said. "And the third is that they really want to have the fulfillment of a career." 

Working remotely forever changed the workplace. So as people return to the office, many are negotiating a hybrid setup where they work from the office a few days a week and from home on the other. 

This tight labor market enables some employees to create a better work-life balance.