The reason so many Millennials plan to quit their job after the pandemic

Fueled by burnout and fears over career growth, more than a third of Millennials say they plan to look for a new job with a different employer once the pandemic comes to an end, a new study says.

Millennials — more than any other generation — are the ones on the move; the largest generation in the workforce tallied the highest percentage (34%) of those who agreed they are planning to look for a new job, compared to Gen Xers (24%) and Baby Boomers (10%).

The startling findings come from Prudential’s “Pulse of the American Worker Survey,” which looked into how workers are adapting to tomorrow’s workplace.

Obviously, things have changed quite a bit from where we were in the early months of 2020. The coronavirus pandemic changed the whole conversation around work, and it’s becoming more clear what workers want from a future workplace — and that starts with a better work-life balance.

Millennials — often characterized as lazy and entitled — aren’t the only ones searching for a better workplace experience. Twenty-seven percent of all workers said a better work-life balance was the reason for them planning to look elsewhere for work. Freezes to payroll also played a role in career-switching; 26% of workers said they wanted better compensation, while the same percentage are seeking something new.

With much of the world stopping in 2020, workers felt the same way about their career. Nearly half of all workers said they are concerned with their career growth, according to the survey.

Of those that said they plan to look for a new job, 80% said questions about their personal growth played a role in looking for new work. While six in 10 workers used the downtime in the pandemic to train themselves on new skills, 72% of workers planning to leave their jobs said the pandemic made them rethink their tool sets.

One of the surprising developments of the pandemic has been the change in remote culture. In May 2020, 36% of employees said they felt connected to their company while working remotely.

However, the number has risen as workers continuing working through the pandemic. Nearly half — 47% — said they now feel connected when respondents were asked in March 2021.

Employees said it is ultimately up to managers to make them feel connected — and they want to see some changes that reflect the new workplace.