Lots of people are talking about the Great Resignation. Here's an article from The Independent which suggests that it's still an ongoing problem for businesses, as significant numbers of employees have taken the decision to move on and seek opportunities elsewhere.

And certainly anecdotally we're all aware of colleagues who have taken that plunge in the last 6 months or so, as the last of the UK #covid lockdowns came to an end and the economic conditions improved.

How big an effect is it yet? This article from the BBC suggests that we might be getting a bit overexcited and it's still a relatively small proportion of the working population.

Of course, what most commentators assume is that the effect will continue to build on the current trajectory and this article from the Guardian suggests that many more of us are considering a similar move:

But either way, what's not in any doubt is that it's getting much harder for organisations to fill vacancies, and equally if you have sought-after skills there are opportunities available as this article from Forbes discusses.

However, whether it's the right time to move on is a really personal decision. I found this Harvard Business Review article really interesting: "5 Reasons Not to Quit Your Job (Yet)"

Certainly in my case I've invested a lot of personal capital in the organisation where I am and when I had a choice to make earlier this year, I concluded that it would take a lot of effort, and some luck, to create a similar profile in another organisation.

Alongside my role as an Enterprise Architect and also as an employee representative at my current organisation, I've recently started a podcast with my colleague Emily, called "If It's Hurting It's Not Working." This is an exploration of work - why we work, how we work and what makes a great job. We wanted be helpful to all our listeners as we wrestle with these issues, and our viewpoint is that at least 8 hours a day at least 5 days a week is a lot of time and effort to invest if you're not enjoying your work.

We discuss our own experiences at work as well as what we're hearing from others and hope to make it a fun and informative listen. Please join us here.

Richard