Key Takeaways
- Quiet quitting, wherein workers put forth minimal effort on the clock, doesn’t have the hold it once did.
- Instead, job-hugging employees are reluctant to leave their roles — but it’s not all negative.
The workplace pendulum has swung from one extreme to another once again.
In the wake of the pandemic, the Great Resignation swept corporate America: More than 50 million people quit their jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some of them job-hopped to higher-paying positions.
Then came quiet quitting, the viral trend that saw employees put forth bare-minimum effort on the job.
Related: Job Hugging Is the New Quiet Quitting — and Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore It
Now, U.S. workers are job-hugging: holding fast to their current roles.
The job-hugging mentality is a response to uncertainty in the market, as many workers weigh stability and job security against ambition, Chris Graham, executive vice president of workforce and community education at National University, told Entrepreneur.
In the short term, job-hugging can cultivate a sense of stability and trust that benefits both employees and employers; however, “unintentional employee stagnation” can develop over time as people become more complacent and less challenged in their roles, Graham notes.
Although job-hugging can lead to career stagnancy and limited growth, employees who opt to stay with their current companies can still set themselves up for success.
Job huggers should seize the opportunity to upskill in their current positions, taking advantage of certification and training programs focused on skills that are relevant now and in the future — especially as AI continues to make its mark, Graham says.
“As AI continues to be webbed into the digital workplace, upskilling will be essential,” Graham explains. “Continuous learning will help employees reduce risk of displacement and gain the confidence to seek out new opportunities created by this workplace transformation.”
Additionally, Graham suggests job-hugging employees participate in any available mentorship programs, which can foster valuable cross-collaboration with different teams at various levels and encourage growth and learning.
Job-hugging employees should also explore company-sponsored education programs, which help workers go back to school and stay competitive in the evolving job market.
“When employees see how their efforts impact their organization’s bottom line and that their future is being prioritized, they are far more likely to invest their time and talent in that organization in the long term,” Graham says.
Key Takeaways
- Quiet quitting, wherein workers put forth minimal effort on the clock, doesn’t have the hold it once did.
- Instead, job-hugging employees are reluctant to leave their roles — but it’s not all negative.
The workplace pendulum has swung from one extreme to another once again.
In the wake of the pandemic, the Great Resignation swept corporate America: More than 50 million people quit their jobs in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Some of them job-hopped to higher-paying positions.
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