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I’ve been in HR for over two decades, and I’ve never seen workplace terminology evolve this quickly: Job hugging. Quiet cracking. Rage applying.
Every few months, a new phrase takes over headlines and social feeds. They’re hard to keep up with and often even harder to decipher. But here’s the dilemma: Are these buzzwords just noise, or do they reveal something leaders need to pay attention to?
I’ve come to believe it’s both. Buzzwords risk trivializing serious issues when leaders don’t look past labels and address what’s underneath. But they can spark helpful conversations about how employees are really doing. They can normalize experiences people might otherwise struggle to name, and when they spread, they show people they’re not alone.
The words themselves may not last long (goodbye, “quiet quitting”; hello, “quiet cracking”), but the feelings behind them are real. Workplace buzzwords are red flags business leaders miss at their own peril.
Job hugging is real
Consider “job hugging.” It refers to employees clinging to their jobs, often from fear of layoffs or lack of hiring at other companies. In today’s stagnant labor market, that fear is not entirely wrong: Layoffs are down, but hiring isn’t strong, either.
For 15 years, the Aflac WorkForces Report has been tracking employee well-being, benefits and workplace sentiment across the U.S. workforce. This year’s survey backs up the job-hugging trend: Only 28% of employees are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, down from 37% in 2024.
People are staying put, but not necessarily because they feel motivated. Record levels of burnout — a seven-year high, with 61% of employees reporting at least moderate burnout — suggest many are simply holding on.
One contributing factor may be anxiety about AI-driven job cuts, making employees even more reluctant to risk starting over somewhere else. AI has been named one of the top five factors contributing to job losses this year, accounting for 10,000 job losses in July alone, according to a Challenger, Grey & Christmas survey.
The hidden upside of hanging on
Job hugging doesn’t have to be seen only as negative — it can be an opportunity to build long-term loyalty. At Aflac, we hire with the intention of hiring for life. And while that doesn’t always happen, it’s not uncommon to see employees stay 20 or 30 years, supported by recognition and access to leadership.
Leaders across every function, not just HR, must make themselves visible and approachable if they want people to feel valued. They need to convert retention based on fear into commitment inspired by purpose, and nowhere is this more critical than for this country’s future leadership pipeline. At 74%, Gen Z is now the most burned-out generation at work, says the Aflac WorkForces Report.
From hugging to cracking to rage
Job hugging is just one example. “Quiet cracking” describes employees quietly working harder and longer without feeling reward or purpose, which fuels disengagement and poor performance. Rage applying is the frustrated response of workers who feel ignored and flood the market with résumés, even if they don’t really plan to leave.
All are warning signs of workplace cultures that are falling short of employee expectations. Our survey shows fewer than half of employees (48%) believe their employer cares about them, down from 54% a year ago. Nearly one in five (18%) believe their company doesn’t care about their mental health at all, and only 60% say their employer encourages them to seek mental health support, down five points from 2024.
What leaders can do
These data points translate directly into risks for retention, productivity and performance. Leaders can use these red flags to prompt proactive change:
- Analyze employee responsibilities both on and off the clock, and thread the needle between productivity and work-life balance. Encourage employees to take PTO and unplug, and model this behavior at the executive level. When asked what would most help with burnout, survey participants rated more time off, working from home and a four-day work week as their top three choices.
- Rebuild trust by being visible and showing care. Make leadership accessible and approachable, whether you lead HR, finance, operations or the entire company. Demonstrate care through mental health resources and consistent communication. Fewer than half of employees now believe their employer cares about them, a trust gap no leader should ignore.
- Encourage job hugging for the right reasons. Create career pathways and growth opportunities that go beyond HR programs to touch every function. Celebrate tenure and reinforce a culture of development, so people stay because they want to.
Behind every catchy phrase is an employee experience: burnout, frustration or hope for something better. The question isn’t whether employees will continue packaging their frustrations into new phrases. They will. The question is whether leaders will act.
In the end, buzzwords may have a short shelf life, but the responsibility of leadership to step in and help prevent the issues that drive these quips is forever.
The opinions expressed in Fortune.com commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune.
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Matthew Owenby
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