Four years after the Great Resignation, job “hopping” has given way to job “hugging” as employees cling to stability in the face of a tighter labor market and economic uncertainty. shows the “quits” rate – the percentage of the total workforce voluntarily leaving their job – hovering around 2%, which is the lowest sustained level since 2016.
Employers may welcome some stability in their workforce after a long period of relatively high turnover, but job hugging carries hidden risks that businesses can’t afford to overlook. Left unchecked, the loss of motivation and engagement that comes with job hugging can devolve into a more serious erosion of morale and performance called “quiet cracking. ”
What is quiet cracking?
“Quiet cracking” is a workplace phenomenon where employees stay at a company despite burn out, disengagement and unhappiness. Signs of quiet cracking include:
- A noticeable drop in the quality of work
- Missed deadlines
- Apathy toward team initiatives
- Minimal participation in meetings
According to a , 54% of employees experience some level of quiet cracking. The broader implication is clear: when engagement falters, business goals become harder to achieve. estimates that decreased employee engagement cost the global economy $438 billion in lost productivity in 2024.
The good news is that more organizations are rethinking how workplace design and workplace technology can play a role in keeping employees connected and engaged. Research shows that positive work environments have the power to improve employee performance, commitment level and continued achievement striving. To that end, OpenBlue solutions that businesses rely on to help optimize space, improve efficiency and reduce costs can also be used to proactively address job hugging and quiet cracking. Here’s how.
How employers can empower employees and improve engagement
Job hugging and quiet cracking often stem from employees who want to perform at their best but lack the tools and environment they need to thrive. When everyday workflows are seamless and intuitive, employees feel trusted and supported — two key ingredients in fueling high job satisfaction and engagement.
OpenBlue Companion reduces friction in the workday by serving as a one-stop-shop for many of the digital tools that workers rely on. The Companion app – accessible via mobile device, desktop or kiosk – enables employees to:
- Schedule a meeting, invite attendees and book a meeting room without having to jump between multiple apps
- Quickly find and reserve a workspace, meeting room, locker or even parking space
- Control lighting and temperature in meeting rooms
- Navigate the office and find colleagues with ease using live floor maps
- Submit help desk tickets and maintenance requests
- Instantly receive important workplace-related notifications and updates
Implementing Companion provides employees with tools to help them excel at work, sends a message that their employer values their time and shows that their employer is willing to invest in technologies that make their workday more productive.
How OpenBlue improves workplace wellbeing and indoor air quality
Another way that organizations can demonstrate that they value their workers is by taking steps to ensure a healthy and comfortable work environment. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ), inconsistent temperature and inadequate lighting can affect mood, focus and energy levels. These factors can diminish productivity and leave employees more vulnerable to quiet cracking.
By giving facility managers real-time visibility of environmental metrics like temperature, humidity and lighting, OpenBlue sensors – when combined with OpenBlue Workplace, our integrated workplace management solution – can help maintain optimal IAQ. IAQ readings can even be displayed on screens throughout the office – a visible reminder that employee health and well-being are top priorities for the organization.
Meanwhile, OpenBlue Insights provides real estate and facilities teams with crucial information about how spaces are being used. After all, noise is another environmental metric that can impact performance. Fine-tuning office layouts to ensure the availability of quieter workspaces for those who need them is another way to reduce the friction, discomfort and stress that can contribute to job hugging and quiet cracking.
Boosting team collaboration with OpenBlue Insights and Companion
Sometimes, a quiet space is the last thing an employee needs. Quiet cracking thrives when there are obstacles to collaboration. If the process of getting together with teammates or clients is too burdensome, relationships that are vital to both individual and business performance can wither.
Armed with utilization data from OpenBlue Insights, stakeholders can make informed decisions about whether they have enough meeting space – and the right kinds of space – to meet workers’ needs. Add in the room booking and management features of Companion, and facility managers have all the tools they need to optimize meeting spaces and make collaboration a breeze rather than a logistical challenge.
Preventing workplace disruptions with predictive maintenance tools
So far, we’ve explored how OpenBlue solutions can help organizations combat job hugging and quiet cracking. We’ve also shown how Companion can streamline the workday, Workplace can support worker well-being and Insights can encourage collaborative productivity. Unfortunately, equipment failures and slow responses to maintenance issues can quickly undermine those advancements. Repeated and prolonged disruptions in the workplace are a potent source of the frustration and disengagement that can lead to quiet cracking.
OpenBlue Equipment Performance works to prevent these failures and reduce downtime by performing fault detection and diagnostics through data from building systems like HVAC and lighting. Alarms are prioritized by business impact, and work orders are automatically generated to speed up the process of dealing with potential problems. Equipment Performance also supports predictive and proactive maintenance workflows to catch issues even before they become apparent.
By taking a proactive, data-driven approach to maintenance, organizations can help employees stay focused on what matters most: creating, collaborating and innovating.
Create healthy, productive workplaces with OpenBlue solutions
The early signs of job hugging and quiet cracking may be hard to spot, but they can have a lasting and significant negative impact on both employee and employer. With OpenBlue solutions, organizations can take a proactive approach to protect against these impacts and support the wellbeing of their workers.
While there’s no single solution to eliminating job hugging and quiet cracking, OpenBlue empowers real estate and facilities teams to tackle some of their root causes by providing consistently healthy, efficient and engaging environments .