University of Iowa professor talks about why there’s an increase in Americans quitting their jobs

OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - As days pass, U.S. citizens are learning new ways to adapt to the constantly changing economy. The most recent change is the number of laborers available in the workforce. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the amount of Americans quitting their jobs increased in August by 4.3 million.

Dr. Michele Williams, an Assistant Professor of Management in Entrepreneurship at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa and has done research on the matter and believes it boils down to people revaluating their work-life balance. “As people began working at home and working in places that could be a health hazard because of the pandemic, having organizations and managers who are benevolent, who cared about their employees, how they were doing, how their family’s health became more important,” she says.

So that brings the question if so many Americans are quitting, where are they going? Williams says people are taking a leap of faith into being their own bosses.

“We do have people who are retiring but we also have people who are moving into entrepreneurship, starting their own business, who are taking some of the skills that they have and figuring out how do I teach these online? How do I that business that I always thought of in the back of my mind? Maybe now I can take that leap,” says Williams.

She says as a professor there were concerns about that affecting universities. However, she says luckily for them they haven’t seen that change.

She believes this economic change is likely to continue and suggests all employers take steps to rebuild the work environment.

“I’m really hoping that this is an opportunity for leaders and managers to reevaluate their work cultures,” she says.

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