Why workers will continue to quit in droves

“The Great Resignation” is actually pretty straightforward.

Sure, it’s a culmination of multitudes of factors—including the various traumas inflicted by the pandemic. Employees are also certainly seizing this moment of leverage to secure a more lucrative gig. But it’s also very much about workers’ pursuit of flexibility and autonomy.

The Conference Board’s latest workforce survey backs this notion, reporting that a quarter of employees who’ve recently changed jobs did so for the ability to work from wherever they please. The survey, which gathered feedback from more than 1,200 U.S. workers, also confirms that workplace flexibility plays a key role in supporting workers’ mental health.

But are companies listening to what their employees are telling them? The data might offer some hints.

Ten key findings from the survey include:

1. Among workers who quit during the pandemic, a quarter did so for the ability to work from anywhere.

In its survey, the Conference Board asked respondents, “If you voluntarily left your organization during the pandemic for another job, what were your reasons?” The data shows:

2. Despite decades in the office, baby boomers are quitting for the option to work from anywhere—and at nearly twice the rate of their younger colleagues.