The Great Resignation Is Over. The Great Re-evaluation Has Begun. Is Your Company Ready?

Annekah Hall-Solomon
Sep 11
3 min read

The so-called “Great Resignation” dominated headlines from 2021 to 2023, as millions of employees left jobs in search of better pay, flexibility, and purpose. Fast forward to 2025, and the mass quitting has slowed. Workers aren’t walking out in droves anymore.

But here’s the shift: they’re staying and reevaluating.

The new dynamic is one of The Great Re-evaluation: employees are scrutinizing whether their current employer aligns with their values, supports their well-being, and provides meaningful growth. For founders and leaders, this is a culture check moment.

The question isn’t “how do we stop people from leaving?” anymore. It’s: “Are we the kind of company people want to stay at?”

From Resignation to Re-evaluation: What Changed?

1. The Economy Cooled.

Layoffs and slower hiring in tech and beyond have tempered worker mobility. Fewer are job-hopping because the market isn’t as frothy.

2. Burnout Never Left.

Even if people aren’t quitting en masse, engagement levels remain fragile. Gallup’s 2024 report showed engagement dipping again after a brief rebound.

3. Employee Expectations Evolved.

Workers are now weighing not just pay, but:

Flexibility (remote/hybrid that actually works)
Career development opportunities
Mental health and workload balance
Leadership trust and transparency

What Employees Are Asking Themselves Now

The Great Re-evaluation isn’t about whether they can find another job. It’s about whether this job is worth their energy.

Employees are asking:

“Do I trust my leaders to make fair, transparent decisions?”
“Does my work align with my personal values?”
“Am I growing, or am I stagnating?”
“Does this company care about me as a person, not just as output?”

If the answer is “no” too many times, disengagement sets in. Disengagement becomes attrition. Even if it takes longer to show up.

Leadership Blind Spots in This Era

Founders and executives often assume that because resignation headlines have faded, retention is no longer a crisis. But ignoring re-evaluation is dangerous. Common blind spots include:

Relying on perks over purpose. Free lunch doesn’t replace clarity, growth, or fair pay.
Equating presence with performance. Forcing “back to office” without addressing culture signals distrust.
Failing to re-recruit current employees. Leaders focus on hiring new talent but neglect showing existing staff why staying makes sense.
Overlooking middle managers. They are the #1 driver of employee experience — and often the least supported.

What Founders & Leaders Must Do Now

1. Redefine “employee value proposition” (EVP)

Your EVP isn’t a job description. It’s your promise to employees: what they get in exchange for their energy and trust.Update it to reflect what people actually care about in 2025. Growth, Flexibility, Inclusion, Stability, ect.

2. Build cultures of trust and transparency

Your people are watching how you handle pay, layoffs, promotions, and even politics. Opacity = Doubt. Doubt = Disengagement.

3. Invest in manager capability

Managers need training, frameworks, and support to deliver feedback, set expectations, and lead in hybrid environments. They’re culture carriers or culture killers.

4. Create growth maps, not just ladders

Careers don’t move in straight lines anymore. Provide lateral, project-based, or skill-building opportunities so employees see a future inside your company, not outside.

5. Re-recruit your employees

Make time for stay interviews. Structured conversations to understand why people stay, what could make them leave, and what they need more of to thrive.

Founder Playbook: The Great Re-evaluation Checklist

Before your next board meeting or all-hands, ask yourself:

Have we clearly articulated why people should stay here (beyond a paycheck)?
Do our managers know how to lead with clarity and fairness?
Are we measuring engagement beyond exit interviews?
Do employees see real opportunities for growth inside the company?
When employees look at leadership, do they see transparency or spin?

If you can’t confidently answer yes to most of these, you’re not ready for this new era.

The Bottom Line

The Great Resignation was about movement. The Great Re-evaluation is about meaning.

Your people don’t just want a job. They want alignment with leaders they trust, work that matters, and a company that sees them as human.

Founders who understand this will build teams that last. Those who don’t? They may not see another “Great Resignation.” But they’ll quietly bleed their best people, one disengaged exit at a time.

Ready to find out if your company can survive the Great Re-evaluation?

Book a People Ops Audit with me and let’s ensure your culture, leadership, and systems are ready for this moment.