When people quit out of conviction

Overtime, too little money or too much stress: there are many people who give notice. Recently, dissatisfaction with corporate values ​​has also been included. Or: so-called Conscious Quitting. We will explain what is meant by this and whether the trend has already arrived in Germany.

just about 55 percent of employees in Germany intend to stay with their employer in the next twelve months. Almost half are willing to leave the company – and not only in Germany.

Because a new trend is spreading in the world of work: How CNBC and LinkedIn report, around 87 percent of those willing to quit want to give up their job because they don’t agree with the company’s values. The Conscious Quitting phenomenon is particularly evident in Generation Z and the generation of young professionals.

What is Conscious Quitting?

“Forget bean bags and gym memberships. Employees want strong values ​​and positive impact,” writes Dutch businessman Paul Polman in one blog post. In it he puts the current Net Positive Employee Barometer and explains how the values ​​of companies and their influence on the world change the attractiveness for their employees.

A total of 4,000 employees in the USA and Great Britain were asked about their well-being at work. The study shows that most people want to work in companies that have a positive impact on the world – and the aspirations are very high.

Conscious Quitting: Employees expect more commitment

Even if many employees know that their company is taking measures to tackle major social and ecological challenges such as climate change or social inequality, two out of three respondents say that this is not enough.

They demand that employers do even more. Many even feel that CEOs and other executives are not giving enough. They are also drawing their conclusions from this lack of ambition.

Barometer shows: Despite the economic crisis, employees would rather give notice

Even in tough economic times, half of those surveyed will consider leaving if the company’s values ​​don’t align with their own. A third also state that they have already taken this step.

Looking at the demographic cross-section, Polman says these numbers are even higher among Millennials and Gen Z. He concludes that the era of conscious quitting has begun.

“Younger workers in particular fear for the world they will inherit.”

It is an unprecedented moment in human history, Polman said. A time of perpetual crisis in which pandemics, war, global warming, economic turmoil and social divisions threaten stability and future in varying degrees. “Younger workers in particular fear for the world they will inherit.”

So, according to Paul Polman, it’s not surprising that many want to contribute their time and talent to companies that are struggling to be part of the solution. In addition, a strikingly high number of employees say that they will leave if their employers let them down.

Conscious Quitting in Germany

That Conscious Quitting is not a phenomenon that will be limited to the US or UK only. That also shows one Stepstone survey from Germany. In this country, 76 percent of employees find it important that the issue of sustainability has a high priority for their employer.

Almost half of the 12,000 respondents stated that if they changed jobs they would specifically look for sustainable companies. One in three would even accept a lower salary for this.

Germany on the way to Conscious Quitting?

Nevertheless, values ​​such as sustainability and environmental protection have not yet reached the same level of importance among German employees as in the other countries examined. A study of Bertelsmann Foundation according to them, these topics are steadily gaining in relevance.

However, job security, salary and collegiality among one another are still more important to them than corporate values. However, in view of the ongoing, extreme and very immediately threatening crises, this is not surprising, according to the study description.

Layoffs cost companies a fortune

What is often not discussed: When employees resign, costs that much money. HR managers can calculate between 90 and 200 percent of the annual salary per employed employee as additional entrepreneurial costs and subsequent recruitment.

Reason enough to take the Conscious Quitting phenomenon seriously. According to Paul Polman, the risks for executives who ignore the trend and its origin are obvious: If they do not meet the expectations and needs of current and future employees: inside, their company will become less attractive, less productive and ultimately less successful .

Instead, they should see the benefit in the new movement: employees want to be part of the mission to improve the employer’s impact on the world. They offer their cooperation. CEOs worldwide should not ignore this enormous opportunity.

Conscious Quitting: Companies react with new job advertisements

According to LinkedIn, it is already evident that there are some companies that react to the current needs of their employees. More and more employers are advertising positions in which they take corporate values ​​into account. This should make it easier for applicants to accept.

Tenders of this type have increased by a full 154 percent. The positive effect is also noticeable, because companies that respond to their values ​​receive almost 50 percent more applications than in previous years.

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