The sudden outbreak of the pandemic triggered a chain reaction like falling dominoes, with the most notable consequence being the global "Great Resignation" wave. This phenomenon has impacted all industries, leaving supply chain managers in key positions facing unprecedented career dilemmas: confronting increasingly severe work pressures, evolving career choices, and re-evaluating work-life balance, they find themselves asking, "Should I stay or should I go?"
Unprecedented Challenges for Supply Chain Managers
Supply chain professionals are facing both internal and external risks at unprecedented levels. The mass exodus of employees isn't just a widespread phenomenon—it poses tangible threats to businesses. Employee turnover has become so common that many now refer to it as the "Great Resignation." While some factors relate directly to the pandemic, most represent the culmination of long-standing grievances.
Root Causes Behind the Great Resignation
The Great Resignation didn't emerge from nowhere but resulted from the accumulation and interaction of multiple factors over time. Several key issues stand out:
- Chronic Understaffing and 24/7 Availability: Many supply chain teams operate with insufficient personnel, requiring employees to shoulder excessive workloads while remaining on constant alert for emergencies. This unsustainable work model drains energy and leads to burnout.
- Erosion of Employer Loyalty: As market competition intensifies, corporate loyalty to employees has declined. Many companies prioritize short-term profits through arbitrary layoffs or reduced benefits, undermining employee trust and sense of belonging.
- Blocked Career Advancement: Numerous supply chain managers encounter career stagnation, lacking promotion opportunities or professional growth prospects. This dim outlook creates frustration and disillusionment.
- Stagnant Compensation and Eroding Benefits: Despite supply chain management's growing importance, many companies haven't adjusted compensation accordingly—with some even reducing pay. Meanwhile, benefit reductions further exacerbate employee dissatisfaction.
- Work-Life Imbalance: Traditionally, supply chain managers invest disproportionate time and energy into work, creating severe personal-professional imbalances that affect both health and family relationships.
The COVID-19 pandemic undoubtedly intensified these issues while sparking widespread rejection of outdated management philosophies. The crisis accelerated workplace transformation, making flexibility paramount while diversifying career options and seemingly shifting organizational power toward employees.
Redefining the Workplace
The pandemic dramatically accelerated workplace evolution, with flexibility becoming essential and career choices multiplying. Remote work's proliferation gave employees more family time while prompting reevaluations of work-life priorities—changes profoundly impacting supply chain management.
For many supply chain professionals, the pandemic provided opportunities to reassess careers and lifestyles. They began questioning whether sacrificing family time for work or enduring extreme pressure remained worthwhile. This introspection led many to redefine work's meaning and seek more balanced living.
Naturally, not all employees enjoy remote work privileges or rapid career transitions. Industries like manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and education still require on-site presence. Yet even office-returning supply chain professionals find their environments fundamentally altered.
Risks of Mass Exodus
Large-scale resignations, labor shortages, and talent drains could devastate businesses and supply chains. Consider the consequences if critical suppliers lose engineers, technicians, or sales managers to alternative careers like coffee shops. While always possible, such scenarios now occur with alarming frequency.
Supply chains already face overwhelming complexity—soaring demand, port congestion, trucker shortages. Inflation rises while job openings proliferate despite economic strength. Though supply chain managers excel at solving operational puzzles, these macro-level challenges exceed direct control and prompt career reconsideration.
For some, "Should I stay or leave?" becomes the central question. As one grocery store employee recently remarked, "I used to live for work... Now I work for living. My relationship with my actual family improved more than with my work family."
The Eternal Work-Life Balance Question
What truly constitutes work? Where should it occur? How should it integrate with life? The catastrophic pandemic forced universal confrontation with these eternal questions—with life currently gaining prominence. Millions have voluntarily abandoned corporate ladder climbing.
Certainly, remote work complicates engineer tracking. Yet few lament missing routine supplier visits. Simple video conferences—even virtual factory tours—often strengthen supplier relationships more effectively than middle seats on crowded flights.
Ultimately, does our profession still offer the same allure, advancement potential, and challenges as before? Millions now ponder this while deciding their futures.