On the surface of your everyday workplace everything seems fine – people show up, hit targets, stay quiet. But lurking beneath, something bad is happening: your employees are quietly cracking.
“Quiet cracking” is about a breakdown of trust. It is about the slow erosion of energy and agency that comes when individuals keep on performing, even while their sense of belonging, growth and future with your organisation has faded.
At the end of 2025, the crack is becoming a crevasse. Widespread layoffs, AI disruption, hybrid-work fatigue and shifting expectations are leading employees to doubt whether they can trust their employer with their future. And driven by this doubt, the cracks start to show. Without a clear career strategy and story, the emotional infrastructure of work is shattering before our eyes.
In nearly 30 years of aligning career strategy with business needs for our clients, we see an unprecedented need for HR and talent leaders in organisations to send a clear message of career support, a visible signal of commercial value for both employer and employee.
For example, our client Red Hat partnered with us to build a global cadre of internal “career coaches” and career supporters. Their business understood they needed a systematic and visible way to show employees that their careers matter. The approach included certification of coaches, defined career-coach competencies and coaching partnerships that empowered associates to drive their own direction. The result was that career support became a visible career “signal” of value.
Can all HR and talent leaders rebuild trust in this way? Yes, they can.
Quiet cracking thrived in the shadows in 2025, but in 2026 it can recede in the light. Every career journey and every manager conversation must matter as a clear sign of trust. When people know their careers are supported, trust deepens. When they sense they are left to navigate alone, they disengage.
So, look below the surface of your everyday workplace and start by asking yourself this question: are the cracks spreading, or do your people really believe in their future with you in 2026? If the answer is no – act now.
Jon Matthews is CEO of The Career Innovation Company. Email him now on jon.matthews@careerinnovation.com and find out how to get started.
