Assessing and Mitigating the Risk of Critical Knowledge Loss in Organizations: Insights from COVID-19 and the Great Resignation

Abstract

This study addresses the challenges of knowledge loss and employee turnover caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Retaining critical knowledge is essential for organizational success, but remote work and the "Great Resignation" have disrupted knowledge sharing. The goal of this research is to modify Jennex's (2014) knowledge loss risk model to accommodate these changes. By reviewing literature on the "Great Resignation" and previous studies on knowledge loss, hypotheses for new contributing factors are proposed. A survey was conducted to investigate these factors, revealing four significant influences on employee departure: the absence of remote work or flexible hours, provision of equipment and technical support for remote work, preference for flexible hours based on household size, and the need for high-speed internet for remote work. These findings will be incorporated into the Jennex knowledge loss risk predictor model.