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TextNow's take on "The Great Resignation"

Kevin

Kevin

 

September 16, 2021

TextNow's take on "The Great Resignation"

Perhaps you've heard this term being kicked around these past few months --- The Great Resignation--- or the slightly punchier, Big Quit. It's in reference to the trend of surprising amounts of employees (in all industries, but specifically in the tech and other white-collar jobs) who have decided to quit their jobs in response to the ongoing Covid pandemic, starting around spring 2021 and continuing to today.

How great was this Great Resignation? According to this US Bureau Of Labour Statistics report, in April 2021 a record 4.0 million Americans quit their jobs. Covid forced a sizeable percentage of the US workforce to reconsider what exactly it is they want from their jobs, or employment in general.

With Covid super-charging the already existing tech sector trend of moving to remote work or a hybrid of office plus telecommuting, some workers discovered they can do their jobs from home perfectly well, and not have to deal with commuting or the other hassles of office life. Paradoxically, other workers craved the buzz of the office and were desperate for a return to the classic office setup.

Remote work is only one of the factors contributing to The Great Resignation, obviously, but it was consistently cited as one of the top reasons by workers looking to jump ship. But with workers now presented with a job market desperate to fill positions made vacant by the pandemic, they are able to be a lot more selective when looking for a new job.

TextNow was, and is, well-suited to this shift in attitude among the workforce. Long before the lockdown, TextNow had already formulated our Work Best policy, a policy designed for maximum flexibility for our employees.

This Forbes article from September 2nd goes through some ideas to help companies survive The Big Quit. Let's see how TextNow stacks up against Forbes' suggestions:

Be flexible about "the return"

As we noted above, companies are caught in a bit of a bind. If some people want to keep working from home, but others want to return to the office, what's the compromise? At TextNow, our Work Best policy means it's up to you, and not your manager to tell us how you are the most productive. If you can get work done at home, or at the office, or while camping up the side of a mountain, go for it. In the meantime, we've re-opened our Waterloo HQ and opened some new WeWork spaces in select US cities, along with a big pile of new protocols to keep everyone Covid safe, for those who want it (We have a really great office, so not surprising people want to be there.)

Waterloo HQ
Learn from remote work successes

Forbes notes that many companies were surprised by how productive their workforce is working remotely. For introverted people it was a godsend, as this quote from Moderna (yes that Moderna, the vaccine makers) shows:

"[Remote work] offered unexpected benefits for its innovators — access to leadership, a more level playing field for introverts, and an expanded talent pool."

They also could have asked us, as we've offered our employees a remote-work option for literally years.

Rethink your benefits

With a less populous office, many of the traditional perks --- free lunches, unfettered access to caffeine, foosball tables, etc. --- were no longer the big draw they used to be. Instead, companies had to look to more tangible things like more personal time off allocations, better health  & wellness benefits, and the like. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, TextNow is once again way ahead of the pack on all benefits. Check it:

  • Strong work life blend
  • Flexible work arrangements (wfh, remote)
  • Employee Stock Options
  • Unlimited vacation
  • Competitive pay and benefits
  • Parental leave top up
  • Benefits for both physical and mental well being

And that's not even including some of our other recent policies like our very popular TextNow Summer Fridays, where we added a couple of extra long weekends in the summer months where the whole company gets to play hooky.

TextNow Summer Fridays
Provide career development and upskilling

TextNow takes career development seriously. Need to take a course to brush up on some tech skills? No problem. We foot the bill. We consider any investment in skills and career development an investment in our employees and in our company.

Show your appreciation

We've always been wildly appreciative of our employees, because without them it's kinda hard to have a company. In the past we've had the prestigious TextNow Phonie Award, a literal phone (well, ok, a 3D printed phone shaped award) with fun bonuses attached to it for the winners. And we're almost ready to unveil our TextNow Anniversary policy, where we celebrate personal milestones with bonuses and other perks every year you're with us. Like what? Well how does a month paid sabbatical for the five-year anniversary sound?

If all of this sounds like a place you'd love to work, then first of all, you're correct. You would love to work here. Second of all, all this information and more can be found on our careers page, where coincidentally, you can also find out more about how to join our fabulous team!

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