There’s no question that the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way that we work. In late 2021, there was a noticeable drop in employee engagement, which signalled a growing disconnect between employees and employers. Unhappy at work, employees clocked in, made a minimal effort to perform their duties as described in their job descriptions, and clocked out. In 2022, Bryan Creely, a corporate recruiter who became a career coach, coined the term “quiet quitting” to describe the trend of employees who refused to go above and beyond.
Now, in 2025, another workplace phenomenon is under the spotlight – “quiet cracking.” TalentLMS, a cloud learning platform, coined the term to describe employees who are struggling to keep up with the demands of their roles and quietly cracking under the pressure. Trapped in overwhelm, employees who experience quiet cracking are “stuck in a persistent state of workplace unhappiness, leading to disengagement, poor performance or plans to quit.”
Both quiet quitting and quiet cracking existed before buzzwords were coined to describe the phenomena. But just as quiet quitting surged in late 2021, quiet cracking is surging in 2025. A TalentMLS survey conducted in March 2025 found that 54% of American workers reported experiencing the unhappiness and burnout that cause quiet cracking.
Quiet cracking is emerging as a hidden crisis across industries. As employees in all sectors cope with mounting stress (both personal and in the workplace), burnout, and cultural disconnect, the consequences for employers are serious. Unless companies take steps to address quiet cracking, they may face decreased productivity, lower morale, increased turnover, damage to their brands, and an overall decrease in performance.
What Is Quiet Cracking?
Unhappiness at work is the root cause of quiet cracking. Many employees who experience quiet cracking are typically star performers who strive to succeed. But persistent unhappiness can erode their work ethic. Employees who are susceptible to quiet cracking may be feeling:
- Overwhelmed by their workloads;
- Undervalued in the workplace;
- Disconnected from company culture;
- Dismayed by the lack of advancement opportunities;
- Stuck due to the tight job market and uncertain economy;
- Worried about job opportunities in the face of AI adoption; and/or,
- Stressed by financial pressures or other personal concerns.
These stressors can significantly impact an employee’s performance and lead to quiet cracking. However, employees may not feel comfortable expressing their concerns to their team leaders or management. It’s critical for people leaders to be aware of the quiet cracking phenomenon and the behaviors that signal an employee is struggling. Some key behaviors to watch for include:
- Increasingly withdrawing from team interactions;
- Declining productivity and missed deadlines;
- More mistakes than usual;
- Deceased enthusiasm or initiative; and,
- Emotional exhaustion.
Quiet cracking is insidious, particularly because it often goes unnoticed until it’s too late. By the time people leaders realize that an employee is struggling, that employee may already be on the verge of resigning or so deeply disengaged that it’s difficult to turn things around.
Why Quiet Cracking Happens
There are several factors that can fuel quiet cracking, including stressors in the workplace as well as at home. Understanding why quiet cracking happens can help prepare people leaders for intervention.
Managerial Burnout And Poor Leadership
Just as employees can be stretched too thinly, so too can people leaders. When managers are juggling their own workplace stressors – and perhaps facing burnout – they may not have the resources to provide the support, coaching, and recognition that employees need. Without guidance and leadership, employees might feel isolated, undervalued, and overwhelmed.
Heavy Workloads And Hiring Freezes
The tech and engineering job markets remain as tight as ever, and the global socioeconomic turmoil has complicated hiring strategies. As companies struggle to adapt to shifting trends, they need to resort to hiring freezes and other cost-cutting measures. With vacancies going unfilled, fewer employees are required to do more work. Over time, these employees experience exhaustion, damaged morale, and a feeling of being undervalued – all of which contribute to quiet cracking.
Digital Transformation Requires New Skill Sets
The rapid shift to new technologies within the past few years has caused complications for many employees. The need to adapt to new tools and methodologies, and increasingly complex workflows, has required reskilling at a time when many employees are already doing more with less. Without access to support and training programs, employees face a real risk of burnout.
Lack of Career Mobility And Mentorship
Most employees appreciate opportunities for growth and advancement. If they’re happy at a company, they’ll likely want to see a future for themselves there – a future that isn’t stagnant. When training and advancement opportunities seem lacking or mentorship isn’t offered, employees may question whether they want to stay long-term. As a result, they may experience stress and disengagement that lead to quiet cracking.
Mental Health Issues
Mental health issues are prevalent throughout the American population. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that 76% of American workers reported experiencing at least one symptom of a mental health condition in 2021. Further, 81% of American workers reported that mental health support within the workplace is a priority when job searching.
Unfortunately, stigma still exists around mental health challenges. Employees may be uncomfortable talking about the stress, anxiety, and burnout that they experience. If your company doesn’t offer mental health support or encourage openness around mental health issues, employees may suffer silently, which contributes significantly to quiet cracking.
The Hidden Costs of Quiet Cracking
While quiet cracking may appear to be a personal issue, it carries significant ramifications for business. Fortune reports that quiet cracking is costing companies $438 billion in productivity loss. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are several other costs that companies should be aware of.
Reduced Productivity
When employees are stressed and nearing burnout, they can’t contribute effectively, as individuals or team members. It will likely take them longer to complete work; they may make more errors; and they may miss deadlines.
Unexpected Turnover
Quiet quitting is often preceded by a period of disengagement. It can be easier for people leaders to identify quiet quitting and gauge which employees may leave as a result. But, because quiet cracking isn’t as easy to spot, employees experiencing quiet cracking may leave suddenly. This can disrupt team dynamics, as the remaining team members struggle to complete additional tasks while waiting for the role to be filled. It can also incur additional recruitment and onboarding costs, since the processes need to move quickly.
Decline In Innovation
Stressed and overwhelmed employees are less likely to engage in creativity, collaborate effectively, or take risks. As a result, innovation will likely decline.
Frayed Relationships With Clients, Vendors, And Stakeholders
Employees who are experiencing quiet cracking are unlikely to put their best foot forward when dealing with those outside of the company. Additionally, they may make mistakes that impact the rapport that you’ve worked hard to build with clients, vendors, and external stakeholders. These relationships may be stressed and begin to fray.
Erosion Of Employer Brand
In today’s job market, a strong employer brand is critical for attracting top talent. To ensure a good cultural fit, candidates seek information about potential employers through word of mouth, social media posts, and online reviews. If employee disenchantment – or worse, burnout – becomes a cultural norm for your company, it will be harder to attract top talent.
It’s clear that quiet cracking, which may seem on the surface to be a personal or HR concern, can have significant ripple effects for your business.
How To Address Quiet Cracking
It may seem difficult to identify and address quiet cracking. After all, most employees who experience it struggle silently. But because quiet cracking has such widespread repercussions, organizations must take steps before it escalates.
Learn To Identify The Signs
Being aware of the quiet cracking phenomenon and the signs that likely show that an employee is struggling are the first lines of defence. Organizations should take steps to ensure that people leaders are familiar with quiet cracking. They should also provide spaces for employees to openly share their struggles. For example, companies should:
- Ensure that people leaders are trained to spot subtle changes in behavior, such as disengagement or declining performance;
- Use surveys and tools that allow employees to anonymously provide feedback about the workplace; and,
- Regularly check in one-on-one with each employee to provide a safe space for them to express concerns.
Improve Management And Mentorship
Strong leadership is key to preventing quiet cracking. It’s critical to invest in your people leaders to ensure that they have the tools to be effective managers. For example, consider:
- Increasing your investment in professional development for your people leaders, especially at the middle-management level, since that’s where most employee interactions take place;
- Shoring up your C-Suite leadership by contracting fractional executives to provide expert guidance and support;
- Finding suitable mentors internally or externally for those employees who would benefit; and,
- Building a culture that supports coaching, feedback, and recognition.
Reevaluate Workloads
Employees who are overwhelmed by their workloads are prime candidates for quiet cracking. Unsustainable workloads lead to mistakes, stress, lowered morale, and burnout. To ensure that each employee’s workload is manageable, employers should:
- Conduct workload analyses regularly (monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually) to ensure that no employees are overallocated;
- Distribute work as equitably as possible across teams; and,
- Consider strategic hiring solutions, such as contract or project-based support.
Address Skills Gaps
Today’s rapidly changing technology can cause employees to struggle. Whether it’s the frustration of working with processes they don’t fully understand, the pressure of learning new processes, or the increased workload as they juggle their regular work plus upskilling, learning new skills can be a burden that leads to quiet cracking. Employers should ensure that skills gaps are minimized by:
- Offering relevant training programs that don’t overburden employees with additional work;
- Creating cross-functional teams that share knowledge; and,
- Bringing in consultants with the specialized expertise needed to address specific skills gaps.
Reinforce A Healthy Company Culture
A healthy and strong company culture – that values people and their contributions – is critical for preventing quiet cracking. The resiliency of employees improves when they feel seen and appreciated. To foster this type of culture, leaders should:
- Provide a safe space for employees to discuss any overwhelm they feel in the workplace;
- Provide mental well-being resources and support while normalizing discussions about mental health; and,
- Ensure that career paths and growth opportunities are clearly outlined.
Final Thoughts
Quiet cracking can have a significant impact on your organization. And, because it can be difficult to identify, damage can occur before you’re aware that there’s a problem. That damage can carry steep costs – including lost productivity, decreased innovation, unexpected turnover, and a weakened employer brand.
While the quiet cracking phenomenon is widespread, you don’t have to accept it as inevitable, forcing you to deal with the fallout retroactively. By implementing proactive strategies – such as stronger leadership, workload analyses, skills development, and meaningful investments in your company culture – you can provide the support your employees need to stave off quiet cracking.
A substantial investment may be needed in both people and processes, but the payoff will be worth it. A healthy and resilient workforce is critical to the long-term success of any business.
