Job Hugging: The New Face of 🔥Burnout🔥
Everywhere you look these days, the data points in the same direction: people are struggling at work and it's not just with heavy workloads.
A recent Harvard Business Review article by Rebecca M. Knight, “Employee Discontent Is on the Rise. Here’s What to Do About It,” paints a sobering picture:
One in five employees say their job harms their mental health.
Nearly a third describe their workplace as isolated or impersonal.
Over 40% report significant stress.
Think about it. Who on your team:
Once challenged ideas and brought fresh thinking, but now just nods and executes?
Still gets the work done, but seems quieter with their spark, curiosity, and confidence much dimmer than before?
Used to challenge ideas or offer creative solutions, but now just nods and executes?
Many of these people aren’t leaving. They’re “job hugging”: holding on to roles that quietly drain them because it feels safer than uncertainty. This isn’t standard disengagement; it’s quiet endurance: the slow fading of once-high performers who keep going, even as the culture that surrounds them wears them down.
Knight’s article underscores a critical truth: culture doesn’t heal through slogans or one-off wellness efforts. It heals through practice and through leaders who remove friction, clarify priorities, and make people feel seen.
Good Work begins when orgs make it possible for people to do their best work. Good People thrive when they’re trusted, connected, and supported. And when both align, Great Impact follows, naturally.
Is this something you’re hoping to tackle at your next team retreat?