The Great Resignation for women is actually a Great Re-evaluation, and it’s been long coming. Women are no longer available for working under pressure without feeling fulfilled and valued. The Great Resignation also means that women want to find their own voice and show up authentically to work. And many feel that this is easier to do in a new environment.

Many companies have been losing talent during the pandemic. In the UK, 40% of workers are considering quitting or changing professions. What is even more worrying is that women have exited the workforce twice the rate that men have. One in 3 women have considered downshifting their career or leaving the workforce entirely in 2021. Resignation rates are highest among mid-career employees. Burn out is up and 56% of working moms say they are struggling.

Research shows that the thing people care about most is how companies treat them. During the pandemic workers stayed at companies that supported them and quit those that didn’t.

For women The Great Resignation is about re-evaluating their life and career

Since 2013 over 10,000 women have come to DrivenWoman to re-evaluate and re-define their career aspirations and what they want from their lives. Our Lifeworking™ program is a highly impactful empowerment program for women. It’s a framework that helps women define their goals, discover their talents and find their voice. The program is based on creating a safe space for self-exploration, defining one’s own vision and then committing to simple steps to take that plan forward and put it into action. Through accountability and mutual support, even big dreams are easier to reach.

What we have learned is that after decades of putting everyone else’s goals and dreams first, women are finally ready to ask a very important question: What do I want?

How do I want to live?

How do I want to show up to my career?

And most importantly… How do I want to make a difference?

“The Great Resignation is really a Great Re-evaluation. What people are resigning from is a culture of burnout and a broken definition of success. In quitting their jobs, people are affirming their longing for a different way of working and living.”

Arianne Huffington

There has been numerous studies assessing women’s ambition, confidence and ability to show up. We believe women have all of those abilities in equal measures to men but they have not been given a space where they can re-claim who they are and define success their own way. For many women success looks a little different but until now women have had to imitate the masculine way of success in order to get ahead. The time has finally come to lead the feminine way.

Companies who support women’s desire to find their voice will win

Companies must go beyond the usual suspects of inequality (equal pay, dealing with harassment and providing maternity benefits) if they want to deal with the consequences of the Great Re-evaluation.

Women have been expected to show up assertive in order to be heard. Yet, you can’t show up with confidence until you know who you are. It’s a chicken and egg situation where employers can play an important role by providing safe spaces and tools for women to gain that self-leadership.

Companies can either sit back and watch the Great Resignation happen to them, or they can take an active role in supporting women on their journey as they re-evaluate their lives and careers. They can demonstrate that they care by offering access to a supportive group where women gain self-leadership, learn to prioritize authentic goals and set better boundaries to avoid burnout. They can provide tools for women to gain control over their lives and career, and the support they need to make necessary changes happen so they can feel driven.

Do women in your organisation feel supported to re-evaluate their lives and stay?

DrivenWoman’s Lifeworking™ program has helped over 10,000 women around the world define a life and career they want and make it happen. The program was built by women for women. We work with global companies such as L’Oreal, Ubisoft and PA Consulting supporting their women as they re-evaluate their lives and take their careers to the next level.