The 'great resignation' continues, as 40% of women workforce look for a new job

According to Deloitte's 'Women@Work 2022: A Global Outlook' report, a substantial number of women employees plan to quit jobs within the next two years due to burnout and lack of flexible work hours.

The report specifies the 'great resignation' – a global phenomena of people leaving jobs in a large number amid the ongoing pandemic – seems to continue especially among women workers.

The Great Resignation has been a boon to employees searching for better working conditions and higher pay. 

Economies bouncing back from Covid-19 and work from home options have made it easier for employees to quit unappealing positions and look for alternatives, driving up wages.

According to the report, nearly 56% of women say their stress levels are higher than they were a year ago, and almost half feel burned out.

The report is based on views of around 5,000 women workers surveyed between November last year and February 2022 across 10 nations, including 500 from India.

Burnout is a top factor, which is driving women away from their employers with around 40% actively looking for a new employer cited it as the key reason.

Over half of those surveyed want to leave their employer in the next two years, and only 9% plan to stay with their current employer for over five years, the report said.

It also said that a majority of respondents continue to experience non-inclusive behaviours at work, but few of these behaviours are reported to employers.

While non-inclusive behaviours impact the majority of respondents across all surveyed geographies, women in ethnic minority groups in their countries, LGBT women and those in lower management or non-managerial roles are more likely to experience these behaviours, the report further stated.

Many feel less optimistic about their career prospects compared with their feelings 12 months ago, as per the report.

As many as 60% of women workforce who work in hybrid work environments feel they have been excluded from important meetings.

The top three microaggressions faced by women in India included being interrupted or talked over in meetings, not being invited to traditionally male-dominated activities and being excluded from informal interactions or conversations, it said.

Only 24% of non-inclusive behaviours were reported to employers, it said.

The report also found that women who work for gender equality leaders report far higher levels of well-being and job satisfaction.

Of the women who work for them (5% of respondents), 87% say they received adequate mental health support from their employer, and the same percentage feel comfortable talking about their mental health in the workplace, it said.

Women who work for gender equality leaders also report far more positive experiences in hybrid working with only 3% saying they feel burned out, the report said.

"While the hybrid model has been touted as a best-of-both-worlds scenario, giving people the comfort of working from home and the connectedness of working from the office, the survey tells us that women professionals seem to be facing the disadvantages of both instead, with year-on-year increases in caregiving responsibilities and stress levels, as well as a higher likelihood of experiencing microaggressions during hybrid working," said Mohinish Sinha, Deloitte India partner and diversity, equity, and inclusion leader.

It's time for all organisations to walk the talk when it comes to support structures and growth mechanisms for women professionals, if they are to prevent loss of diversity of thought, crucial for balanced decision-making, Sinha said.