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Employee Attrition in a Post-Pandemic Economy: HR Strategies for Retention

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· Pages: 9759-9764· Vol. 10, No. 01, (2026)· Published: January 9, 2026
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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about a fundamental change in the global economic and social landscape, creating an era of exceptional challenges and transformations. One of the more notable changes in the labor market noted globally is the mass event that many refer to as the Great Resignation, which is characterized by a huge number of employees voluntarily leaving their positions across a variety of industries. This sudden leave of talent has drastically altered the realities of the labor market and presented organizations with serious issues centered around employee loyalty, engagement, and retention during an ever-shifting economy transitioning from the pandemic. The consequences of mass employee attrition can be profound and include the cost of hiring, loss of institutional knowledge, productivity deceleration, and decreased morale for the remaining workforce. With these new variables at play, organizations want to gain a clear understanding of employee attrition to strategize best practices for retention of their human capital during a time of significant change.

This paper seeks to identify the complex factors that are at play in an employee's leaving their place of work in this post-pandemic reality. This paper intends to locate the pandemic as the thing that expedited pre-existing conditions, as well as new conditions for the post-pandemic employee to examine their career pathways and priorities. Furthermore, this study will analyze many facets of the "Great Resignation," including major causes such as insufficient pay, lack of opportunities for advancement, and a lack of respect in the work setting. After establishing a comprehensive context of the situation overall, the paper will establish a set of HR activities aimed at employee retention practices based on research. These practices will take a holistic approach to retention by considering not only a financial aspect but also the employee's mental health, career growth, work-life balance, and quality organizational culture. The research aims to develop HR practitioners and organizational leaders with ideas to build resilient and engaged employees capable of thriving in the evolving post-pandemic economic landscape.

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Author details
D.A. Adegbenro
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I.A. Adewumi
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