Introduction
According to the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE), 675,000 people resigned from their jobs in the last year. The primary reasons for this mass exodus include unfavorable working conditions, desire to continue studies, family responsibilities, and the pursuit of better salaries or professional growth.
Unfavorable Working Conditions: The Leading Cause
Of all the resignations, 17.7% were linked to deteriorating work conditions or health risks, making it the primary reason for job abandonment. Although only 10,584 resignations were directly related to excessive workloads, this category saw a significant annual growth of 57.2%, making it one of the fastest-growing reasons for quitting.
Expert Opinions
Ivonne Borden, founder of Agregando Valor, explains that the increasing awareness of mental health and psychosocial risk factors has led newer generations to recognize work overload, lack of training, and the right to digital disconnection. This heightened consciousness drives employees to make such decisions when boundaries are exceeded.
Yunue Cárdenas, CEO and founder of Menthalising, emphasizes that employees are experiencing burnout due to excessive workloads and stress. She points out that inadequate leadership, insufficient training, and poor work-life balance contribute to this issue.
Prioritizing Work-Life Balance
According to Page Group’s report, Talent Trends 2025, employees are reassessing their priorities in the workplace, with work-life balance being a crucial factor. Forty-eight percent of job seekers prioritize this balance in job offers.
Ivonne Borden attributes the resignations due to unmanageable workloads to outdated leadership models and organizational factors, such as outdated job descriptions or the absence of business-oriented productivity indicators.
Yunue Cárdenas stresses that people are prioritizing their well-being. She argues that this trend is not a lack of commitment but rather a symptom of excessive workloads that have persisted for years. Younger generations are witnessing the negative impacts of unbounded work lives on adults.
Conflicts with Leaders: Stable but Growing
Resignations due to conflicts with supervisors remained stable compared to the previous year, with 56,582 people leaving their jobs due to disagreements with their managers. This represents 8.3% of all job abandonment cases reported by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (Inegi).
MetLife’s report, The Impact of Nearshoring on Employee Benefits Trends, highlights that ineffective leadership can negatively affect employee morale, motivation, and commitment. Employees who feel unsupported or undervalued by their leaders are more likely to seek opportunities elsewhere.
Ivonne Borden adds that inadequate leadership, lack of understanding of real productivity indicators, generational changes, and change management models contribute to this problem.
Yunue Cárdenas concurs, stating that the real issue lies in the relationship with supervisors rather than organizational policies or contracts. She emphasizes that “many problems are not about processes but about leadership.”
Key Questions and Answers
- Q: What is the main reason for the recent surge in resignations? A: The primary reason is unfavorable working conditions, with a 57% increase in resignations due to excessive workloads.
- Q: How have leadership issues contributed to this trend? A: Inadequate leadership, lack of understanding of productivity indicators, and outdated management models have negatively impacted employee morale and commitment.
- Q: What role does work-life balance play in employees’ decisions to resign? A: Work-life balance is a crucial factor for job seekers, with 48% prioritizing it in job offers.
- Q: How have generational changes influenced this trend? A: Newer generations are more aware of mental health and psychosocial risk factors, driving them to recognize and address work overload.
- Q: What is the significance of conflicts with supervisors in resignations? A: Although stable, conflicts with supervisors account for 8.3% of all job abandonment cases, highlighting the importance of effective leadership.
