QUITS DIARIES: Meet 38 people who joined the Great Resignation in search of a more balanced life

It is quitting time in America.

The phenomenon of Americans quitting their jobs at record-breaking rates has been dubbed the Great Resignation. Insider has spoken with dozens of Americans who left their jobs in search of a better deal, citing everything from low pay to high stress.

Even with huge increases in jobs and hiring, the resigning has not slowed. The Omicron variant started to spread across the US as enhanced unemployment insurance ended in September.

Some theorize that it is a Great Reshuffle where workers switch into higher-paying roles or that they waited out the economic downturn before quitting. There has been a rise in worker power and workers leaving low- wage industries at a record-breaking pace.

Employers have been scrambling to hire and complain about labor shortages, while workers and experts say the answer is clear: low pay and poor conditions will not cut it anymore. Wages went up over the past year, but they came after five decades of declining wages. Some economists and advocates say that raises may not stick around without an increase in the federal minimum wage.

Some workers left their jobs because of the issues of mortality and meaning that a life-changing event like a Pandemic brings up. Others are dealing with young children who can't bevaccinated yet, quitting jobs to remain in a Pandemic limbo. Some moved to be closer to loved ones while others burned out.

Some people just heard about quitting and decided to do it on their own. A recent study suggested that a lot of low-wage jobs would be unsustainable if workers knew how much money they could make elsewhere.

Workers might ask for more money or quit if they know what they can make somewhere else. Wall-to-wall news coverage of workers quitting may have given them that information.

Insider has spoken with millions of people who make up the Great Resignation over the past nine months. Here are their stories.

The news that their job would be moving to a hybrid schedule, with two days in the office and three at home, was the final straw for one public-relations employee.

They can experience a lot of pain. Working at home gave them everything they needed to recover. When they went into the office one day, they got 20% of their usual work done.

The whole situation made me realize that we were not valued as employees. That was the priority.

The full story can be read here.

Andrew Hudson

In December, Andrew Hudson quit his job as a nurse. He said he would bring patients who had died to the mortuary or freezer trucks at the beginning of the epidemic. He would tape their mouths, noses, and eyelids to reduce their exposure to the virus.

If you can leave your job, I think you should. They are going to have to deal with the consequences of the collapse of the system.

The full story can be read here.

Nicholas Larghi/@nlarghi

A year ago, she was a high-school teacher. She makes her highest salary yet, as a remote worker in Alaska.

She wrote that she went into teaching and was eager, but became discouraged when she realized that she was working long hours, low pay, and bureaucracy. She gave notice that she wouldn't be coming back.

Whether it's spending an extra few minutes enjoying my coffee in the morning or having the freedom to attend a webinars in the middle of the day, remote working allows me to focus on what helps me.

The full story can be read here.

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