Pandemic is driving a wave of job resignations in offices

DSA Connect’s new research, which can be seen in over 35 publications, shows that around one in eight office workers has resigned or will resign from their job as a result of the pandemic with remote working one of the key reasons for quitting.

Our research found that 12% of office workers – around two million employees – plan to quit or will quit with many blaming their employers’ attitude to remote working.

Around a fifth (20%) say they wanted greater flexibility over mixing remote working with being in the office which their employer wouldn’t offer, while 12% say they want to continue working remotely and their employer won’t allow them.

The pandemic has also meant people reassessing their lives – 27% say they have resigned because they want to change career, while 15% of those resigning have moved home during the pandemic and say their previous job is now too far to commute.

Our research also shows that 54% of those who have resigned have handed back laptops while 41% have returned mobile phones and 22% have given back desktop computers.

Equipment is likely to have personal data on it along with company data and employers need to dispose of dispose of equipment safely and securely or risk potential fines and damage to their reputation. Companies need to take a careful and considered approach to recycling or disposing of equipment safely and securely as failure to do so can have severe consequences for businesses.