‘Quiet Cracking’ is Spreading in Offices: Half of Workers are at Breaking Point
upstart writes:
- "Quiet cracking" is the new workplace phenomenon sweeping offices. As AI looms over jobs and promotions stall, workers' mental health is quietly fraying. For employers, it has resulted in a staggering $438 billion loss in global productivity in the past year alone. But not all hope is lost. A career expert tells Fortune there are ways for managers and employees to course-correct.
Workers are down in the dumps about a lack of career growth opportunities and emptying offices as companies slash staffers to make way for AI, all while being put under constant pressure to do more with less.
Scared of speaking out and putting their neck on the line in a dire job climate, staff are silently but massively disengaging with their employers: Welcome to "quiet cracking."
The latest workplace phenomenon sees staff showing up and doing their job but mentally and emotionally struggling. About 54% of employees report feeling unhappy at work, with the frequency ranging from occasionally to constantly, according to a 2025 report from TalentLMS.
"The telltale signs of quiet cracking are very similar to burnout. You may notice yourself lacking motivation and enthusiasm for your work, and you may be feeling useless, or even angry and irritable," Martin Poduka, editor in chief and career writer for Kickresume, tells Fortune. "These are all common indicators of quiet cracking, and they gradually get worse over time."
Unlike "quiet quitting," this decline in productivity from workers isn't intentional. Instead, it's caused by feeling worn down and unappreciated by their employers. And oftentimes, as with burnout, they don't even register it creeping up on them until it's too late. But feeling unable to quit in protest because of the current job market, it's left them ultimately stuck and unhappy in their roles.
A fleet of unhappy workers may sound easy to spot, but the problem is sneaking up on workplaces without much course correction.
Last year, the proportion of engaged employees globally dropped from 23% to 21%-a similar dip in enthusiasm seen during the COVID-19 lockdown-costing the world economy about $438 billion in lost productivity, according to a 2025 report from Gallup.
Quiet cracking isn't only creating a bad culture for employees to work in, but the trend is also hitting businesses hard. It's imperative that bosses seize the moment to develop an engagement strategy before the problem festers into a ticking time bomb. And employees can also make adjustments to better advocate for their own career happiness.
"It isn't obvious when quiet cracking happens," Poduka explains. "You may be starting to quietly crack right now, but you wouldn't know as this type of burnout takes some time for others, and even you, to notice."
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