We've all heard of "quiet quitting," the phenomenon of employees quietly doing less work for an employer, and only completing their most core responsibilities.
Now, EY America Chief Wellbeing Officer Frank Giampietro says there's a new phenomenon employers need to keep an eye out for: "quiet cracking."
Quiet cracking is when employees "show up… do their job, but they struggle in silence while they do it," Giampietro told Business Insider. “What we’ve seen in the market more recently is that a lot of folks are actually staying with their current employers, but they’re not actually thriving at work."
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Giampietro says the job market is a driving factor behind quiet cracking. With hiring and job creation both slowing down, many people are electing to stay in their current roles for the stability, even if they're unhappy.
“A lot of folks actually feel stuck where they are, and it’s not necessarily that they’re making a choice around continuing to be there, but it’s that they don’t have other choices available to them that are better,” he told the website.
These circumstances lead to high levels of disengagement and dissatisfaction in employees. Which, in turn, erodes morale and productivity in the workplace.
Giampietro says that the signs of quiet cracking look similar to burnout, though less extreme. You may notice physical symptoms, like an employee calling out sick more often than normal, or a decline in performance.
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Although the signs can vary, managers should be “looking for changes in what you would see as a typical behavior pattern for the folks on your team,” he said.
He suggests addressing the problem head-on, checking in with any employee you may be concerned about, and asking if there is any way you can help address the issue.
Lead-ins like “Hey, I’ve noticed a change in your behavior. Can we talk about it? I just want to make sure you’re OK,” can be an effective way to let a struggling employee know that you care without feeling too aggressive, he says.
Quiet cracking can have real monetary implications for a company, too. In its 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, Gallup found that employee engagement had decreased from 23% to 21%. A change that cost the global economy $438 billion in lost productivity.
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This is only the second time since 2012 that employee engagement has decreased, according to Gallup. The last time was in 2020.
For Giampietro, this makes sense. Focus on employee well-being surged during and after the pandemic, but as things have returned to normal, business priorities have shifted again.
"There was a lot of focus and attention on well-being coming out of the pandemic, especially with high turnover in most organizations, but as turnover has stabilized, there’s been a focus on cost,” Giampietro told Business Insider. “Well-being may not be getting the attention it deserves in most organizations.”
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