Quiet is the new loud. A few years back, headlines announced the Great Resignation—professionals left their jobs in droves. For employers, this was a cause for alarm, but thankfully, resignation rates soon returned to pre-pandemic levels. A new normal was established. Today, however, the trends threatening the workplace are quieter, more insidious, and potentially more damaging in the long run. The latest phenomenon, quiet cracking, manifests as a persistent feeling of unhappiness, underappreciation, and overwork among employees. Many aren’t submitting their resignations; instead, they silently struggle—similar to ducks gliding on a pond while paddling fiercely beneath the surface. According to research from TalentLMS, a company that coined the term “quiet cracking,” over half of employees experience this condition to some degree: 20% report feeling workplace unhappiness frequently or constantly, while another 34% feel it occasionally. It is crucial for organizational leaders to recognize this trend and act swiftly; otherwise, they risk losing their top talent’s potential.
Understanding the Causes of Quiet Cracking
Unmanageable workloads and unclear expectations are significant contributors to quiet cracking. Early in my career, one of my first jobs operated as a workload free-for-all. Employees were encouraged to take on as much work as they were willing to handle. With no emphasis on balance or boundaries, everyone was scrambling—a culture where more was deemed better, leading to exhaustion and uncertainty about individual performance. In contrast, my approach to managing my own company focused on establishing clear work expectations and encouraging team members to maintain their boundaries. This clarity mitigates the risks associated with quiet cracking.
To tackle excessive workloads, leaders should define responsibilities clearly. Today’s AI-powered project management systems serve as valuable tools for maintaining this clarity. For example:
- Asana offers an AI Studio feature that extracts action items from meeting transcripts, automatically assigning tasks with due dates and follow-ups.
- ClickUp uses AI to balance workloads, providing managers visibility into team members’ work capacity.
- Wrike alerts you when projects become overloaded, ensuring no individual is unduly burdened.
With a deliberate approach, employees are empowered to respect their boundaries and leave work with the confidence that they have met expectations.
Offer Meaningful Training Opportunities to Reduce Quiet Cracking
In the AI era, certainty is rare. Employers cannot confidently predict which skills will be in high demand over the next decade, leading to mutual anxiety regarding skills gaps—an underlying factor of quiet cracking. Research by McKinsey indicates that 46% of leaders view skill deficits as significant barriers to AI adoption. Notably, TalentLMS found that employees who have not received training in the past year are 140% more likely to feel insecure in their roles.
Offering meaningful training opportunities not only equips employees with necessary skills but also enhances engagement. AI agents can facilitate the alignment of employee objectives with employer expectations by delivering tailored training modules. For instance, an AI training agent could construct a personalized learning path for a data analyst that progresses from basic tutorials to real-world case studies, dynamically adjusting based on quiz results and performance. McKinsey underscores the importance of providing employees time to experiment, access to modern tools, opportunities for participation in open-source communities, and fostering a collaborative culture.
Furthermore, upskilling current employees is just as important as training new hires. Soft skills, such as empathy, communication, and collaboration, are crucial in a future where AI takes over manual tasks and will define both professionals and organizations.
Communicate the Company Direction to Combat Quiet Cracking
Throughout my two decades of running Jotform, I have found that one of the greatest challenges in leadership is helping employees transcend day-to-day minutiae—seeing the forest instead of getting lost among the trees. In our fast-paced economy, many professionals experience the grind: long days filled with busywork followed by family and social obligations, which can lead to disengagement and even quiet cracking.
As leaders, it is imperative to remind employees of the larger mission—why your organization exists—and share the vision—what future success looks like. These concepts should evolve and be revisited regularly. By communicating the company direction, you can connect lofty ideas to everyday tasks, helping employees comprehend how their work contributes to the organization’s bigger picture. When every team member, from intern to CEO, has this clarity, it becomes easier to maintain inspiration during inevitable lulls when the risk of quiet cracking heightens. Additionally, involving employees in shaping the mission and vision can enhance the resonance of these concepts.
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