New research released by Medallia, Inc. reveals that nearly 50% of workers who left their employers as part of the Great Resignation say they quit without a new job lined up. This and other findings are available in the full report, Insights into the Great Resignation: Why Employees Leave Their Jobs, released today by the Medallia Institute and consumer behavioral intelligence and benchmarking platform Sense360 by Medallia.

Medallia analyzed the results of a survey conducted in October 2021 of 1,471 workers in the U.S. who indicated they either had recently left their job or were thinking about leaving their job.

Findings from this analysis reveal why employees left their last employers, how the pandemic factored into the Great Resignation, and what employers need to do to win the Great Rehire:

• Nearly half of workers who left their employers as part of the Great Resignation say they quit without a new job lined up.
• The top 5 reasons workers are leaving are as follows:
  • (1) the nature of their jobs in general
  • (2) their workloads
  • (3) concerns about pay equity
  • (4) not feeling appreciated
  • (5) limited career advancement opportunities
• Nearly 1 in 3 workers say the COVID-19 pandemic influenced their decision to leave.
• About 60% of employees felt burned out and emotionally drained at their last employer.
• Of workers who have left their jobs due to the pandemic, nearly 70% say they realized they wanted a better work-life balance.
• More than 50% of workers say their employers rarely ask/don't ask for employee feedback.
• Only 25% feel heard by their current employers and less than a quarter say their company takes "meaningful action" based on employee feedback.

"The Great Resignation put employee experience in the spotlight, presenting employers with the opportunity to get better at meeting the needs of their people to retain them going forward and to win the Great Rehire," said Medallia Solution Principal for Employee Experience Melissa Arronte. "Organizations that recognize that employee expectations are constantly changing and that leaders and managers need to listen to workers and take meaningful action to address their concerns in the moment will be more likely to retain their employees, no matter what challenges come next."

Medallia's full "Insights into the Great Resignation: Why Employees Leave Their Jobs" report can be downloaded here.