The moral economy of the great resignation
Abstract The “Great Resignation” or “The Big Quit” represents a significant shift in people’s importance of employment. In September 2021, U.S. Department of Labor data revealed that 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, an increase of over 1.13 million from September 2020. This study aims to explo...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Springer Nature
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02087-x |
| _version_ | 1797453580324569088 |
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| author | Giuseppe Varavallo Giulia Scarpetti Filippo Barbera |
| author_facet | Giuseppe Varavallo Giulia Scarpetti Filippo Barbera |
| author_sort | Giuseppe Varavallo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The “Great Resignation” or “The Big Quit” represents a significant shift in people’s importance of employment. In September 2021, U.S. Department of Labor data revealed that 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, an increase of over 1.13 million from September 2020. This study aims to explore the socio-psychological reasons behind the Great Resignation and potential future shifts in how people view work in their lives. A data collection of 955 highly rated posts from the r/antiwork subreddit was analyzed using the BERTopic method to semantically examine the posts into identifiable topics from February 2020 to February 2022. Subsequently, the moral economy framework was used to investigate these topics, classifying the reasons into three dimensions: ‘Work and Employment,’ which reflects organizational factors, ‘Social Justice and Activism,’ which includes community-level considerations, and ‘Health, Well-being, and Lifestyle,’ which relates to individual circumstances. The study reveals a ‘vocabulary of motives,’ including flexibility, meaningful work, social responsibility, and self-care, showcasing the interconnectedness across individual, community, and organizational dimensions. This evidence suggests an ongoing significant transformation in societal importance and understanding of work. These findings shed light on the profound shift in work values, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the Great Resignation phenomenon, and have far-reaching implications for organizations and policymakers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:24:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eadc655838c14ddabd070416b9d2b0f7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:24:52Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-eadc655838c14ddabd070416b9d2b0f72023-11-26T12:38:32ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922023-09-0110111210.1057/s41599-023-02087-xThe moral economy of the great resignationGiuseppe Varavallo0Giulia Scarpetti1Filippo Barbera2Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, Lungo Dora Siena, University of TurinDepartment of Cultures, Politics and Society, Lungo Dora Siena, University of TurinDepartment of Cultures, Politics and Society, Lungo Dora Siena, University of TurinAbstract The “Great Resignation” or “The Big Quit” represents a significant shift in people’s importance of employment. In September 2021, U.S. Department of Labor data revealed that 4.4 million Americans quit their jobs, an increase of over 1.13 million from September 2020. This study aims to explore the socio-psychological reasons behind the Great Resignation and potential future shifts in how people view work in their lives. A data collection of 955 highly rated posts from the r/antiwork subreddit was analyzed using the BERTopic method to semantically examine the posts into identifiable topics from February 2020 to February 2022. Subsequently, the moral economy framework was used to investigate these topics, classifying the reasons into three dimensions: ‘Work and Employment,’ which reflects organizational factors, ‘Social Justice and Activism,’ which includes community-level considerations, and ‘Health, Well-being, and Lifestyle,’ which relates to individual circumstances. The study reveals a ‘vocabulary of motives,’ including flexibility, meaningful work, social responsibility, and self-care, showcasing the interconnectedness across individual, community, and organizational dimensions. This evidence suggests an ongoing significant transformation in societal importance and understanding of work. These findings shed light on the profound shift in work values, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the Great Resignation phenomenon, and have far-reaching implications for organizations and policymakers.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02087-x |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe Varavallo Giulia Scarpetti Filippo Barbera The moral economy of the great resignation Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | The moral economy of the great resignation |
| title_full | The moral economy of the great resignation |
| title_fullStr | The moral economy of the great resignation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The moral economy of the great resignation |
| title_short | The moral economy of the great resignation |
| title_sort | moral economy of the great resignation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02087-x |
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