In 2022, the term quiet quitting became shorthand for employees setting firmer boundaries at work and refusing to go “above and beyond” without recognition. But in 2025, a new trend is emerging, one that is far less intentional and far more concerning: quiet cracking.
What is Quiet Cracking?
Quiet cracking describes the silent unraveling of employees who, rather than disengaging, continue to push themselves under growing pressure until they reach a breaking point. Unlike quiet quitting, it’s not a strategy or a choice, its burnout happening in real time, often unnoticed by managers until it’s too late.
Where quiet quitters draw a line, quiet crackers blur it, sacrificing well-being to meet endless expectations. The danger? By the time they finally “crack,” the result is resignation, prolonged sick leave, or a complete career reset.
Signs of Quiet Cracking in the Workplace
Managers and colleagues may overlook quiet cracking because it doesn’t look like disengagement. In fact, the opposite is true; these employees often appear to be high performers. Warning signs include:
⚠️Declining health: fatigue, frequent illness, or stress-related symptoms.
⚠️Hyper-responsibility: reluctance to delegate, always being “on,” and never saying no.
⚠️Emotional strain: irritability, withdrawal from colleagues, or uncharacteristic mood swings.
⚠️Diminishing returns: output remains high, but creativity, innovation, or quality start to slip.
Why Quiet Cracking Happens
Several factors fuel this trend:
🔸Unclear boundaries in hybrid and remote work environments.
🔸Cultural pressure in workplaces where overwork is praised as commitment.
🔸Economic insecurity driving employees to overextend themselves for fear of replacement.
🔸Leadership blind spots, where managers reward results without noticing the cost at which they are achieved.
The Business Impact
Quiet cracking isn’t just a personal issue; it’s a business risk. It leads to higher turnover, reduced productivity in the long run, and reputational damage as organisations gain a reputation for burning out talent. Unlike quiet quitting, which at least retains employees at a baseline level, quiet cracking often ends in total disengagement.
How Employers Can Respond
Forward-thinking companies can reduce the risk of quiet cracking by:
🔸Normalising balance – celebrating sustainable performance, not overextension.
🔸Investing in mental health – offering accessible support, counseling, and stress management resources.
🔸Training managers – equipping leaders to spot early warning signs of burnout.
🔸Encouraging transparency – building cultures where employees feel safe to admit when workloads are unsustainable.
🔸Redefining success – shifting from “hours worked” to “impact delivered.”
Final Thoughts
Quiet quitting was a wake-up call for organisations to reassess engagement. Quiet cracking is a louder alarm, if businesses ignore it, they risk not only losing their best people but also creating workplaces where resilience breaks down. Workplaces that address this now will be the ones that attract, retain, and protect talent in the long term.