Employee Turnover Is Impacting Not-for-Profits Too

Competing for Talent in the COVID-19 Environment

Amy West, , CPA, CGMA

Over the past two years, Americans have quit their jobs in record numbers. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 47.4 million people have left their jobs since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In November 2021, 4.5 million people quit their jobs, representing the highest monthly rate for a month since the federal government started tracking the statistic in 2000 (https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/number-of-quits-at-all-time-high-in-november-2021.htm). Many not-for-profit leaders were confident, amid rapid closure of programs and administrative offices, that allowing staff to safely work from home would increase engagement and staff satisfaction. This has not proven to be the case. According to the consulting firm Korn Ferry, many business leaders and human resources are noting that the largest pool of employees quitting is those doing remote work (https://bit.ly/3r5Npin). In addition, employees are increasingly leaving jobs without having another job lined up.