Survey Shows Those Who Quit, Switched Jobs During Pandemic Felt 'Life Is Too Short'

Nearly everyone who switched jobs or quit since the COVID-19 pandemic hit say they realized life's too short to be unhappy on the job, a new poll showed.

In an Indeed survey of 1,005 people, pollsters focused on what was fueling the movement of millions of workers who resigned in recent months, Business Insider reported.

A whopping 92% said the pandemic made them feel life is too short to stay in a job they weren't passionate about, the survey found. But the survey also found job hoppers were keen on bigger salaries as well.

According to Indeed, the survey results "strongly suggest" once COVID emerged, people were eager to leave their current jobs.

The survey showed within three months of the onset of the pandemic, 60% of people surveyed left their pre-pandemic jobs — and nearly three-quarters of job switchers stated they took their new jobs knowing they were temporary while they continued to seek the right, permanent fit.

Here's the top reasons cited by respondents for job-jumping, according to the survey:

• 45% of those surveyed reported that their employers did not offer flexibility on remote work.
• 40% of respondents said their companies would not accommodate their need to stay at home with their children and/or dependent family members after school and/or care facility shutdowns.
• 34% of workers reported their employers did not offer flexibility on working hours.
• 34% of those surveyed said their positions made it difficult or impossible to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines.
• On average, job switchers left their first job after five months, and 48% found a new job that paid even more.
•  60% of respondents said they are still actively looking for a new job even after cycling through at least two new jobs in the last 19 months; 49% said higher compensation was the top motivator.

For others, the pandemic was a good time to take a look inside and out, the survey found.

• 82% said the rise of remote work made them feel less constrained when it comes to jobs they can pursue.
• 76% of those surveyed noted that the labor shortage offered new career opportunities that they would not have had otherwise.
• 85% of job seekers are looking at work outside their current industry, and of those job seekers, 97% cite the pandemic as the reason they decided to change career paths.

"For some, the Great Realization wasn't a one-time thing," Scott Bonneau, vice president of global talent attraction at Indeed, told Business Insider. "We noticed a trend where people had changed jobs more than once in the past 19 months, after relative stability in their pre-pandemic job.

"While COVID created uncertainty for many, it created opportunities for employees to change to industries where remote work, flexibility, and higher pay are more prevalent and enabled them to pursue professional passions."

Indeed did not report a margin of error for the survey.

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