Work

‘The great resignation’: The ambivalences of the liquid employee facing a consumerist work relationship

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: In early 2021, many workers in OECD countries, especially France, decided to resign, a phenomenon commonly known as ‘the Great Resignation’. Based on 41 interviews with employees who voluntarily left their jobs in the wake of the COVID-19 health crisis and building on the work of Zygmunt Bauman, our research unveils the emergence of “liquid employees”, trapped in a vicious circle of consumption. Organisations consider employees as consumer goods, and in return, the latter become consumers of organisations through frequent job-hopping. Our findings also highlight how this consumerist work relationship is embedded in a process of adiaphorisation of organisations and managers and how resignation represents more of a necessity than a choice for liquid employees.

Source: European Management Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2024.11.008

Authors: Vincent Meyer, Jean-Denis Culié, Xavier Philippe, Thomas Sorreda, Jean-François Garcia, Luc Tessier

Institutions: EM Normandie Business School, Métis-Lab

Language: English

Topic: Zygmunt Bauman's Sociology

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,160