Unveiling COVID-led great resignation and its impact on organisational survivors: a study of higher educational institutions

Abstract

COVID-led disruptions have led to a substantial number of individuals being fired, voluntarily abandoning their jobs or looking for new opportunities. In light of this, the objective of the current study was to identify and investigate the factors that encouraged teaching professionals from higher educational institutions to resign from their jobs during the COVID-led pandemic. Furthermore, job satisfaction and motivation surveys were conducted to identify the impact of great resignation on organisational survivors. The results reveal that dissatisfaction with pay, toxic work culture, high level of burnout and duality of roles significantly encouraged teaching professionals from higher educational institutions to resign from their jobs during the COVID-led pandemic and also significantly impacted the satisfaction and motivation of those left (organisational survivors) in the higher educational institutions. This study has implications for leaders of higher educational institutions, HR managers, policy makers, etc.