When the coronavirus broke out, Melissa Villareal was teaching history to middle schoolers at a private school in a wealthy California suburb. It was a job she liked and a field she was enthusiastic about. Just over a year later, she’s completely retired from teaching to work in industrial design for a major cosmetics company. People like Villareal are resigning or considering quitting their jobs in droves.

People are looking for a change for a number of reasons, which some economists refer to as the “Great Resignation.” Some workers’ goals evolved as a result of the pandemic. Some had to be stay-at-home parents. Many others, on the other hand, chose to quit due to their employer’s treatment of them throughout the pandemic. Villareal was worried about her safety, and she noticed an increase in tension and effort as she juggled both in-person and remote learners. Her concerns did not appear to be addressed or even heard.

Employees are quitting first and foremost because of how their employers treated them – or did not treat them – during the pandemic. Workers eventually preferred to stay at companies that offered assistance versus those that did not. Workers who were on the edge of quitting their employment owing to a poor work environment before the pandemic were pushed to the limit.