‘Are we surprised?’ netizen reacts as survey finds 3 in 10 Singapore workers ‘quiet cracking’

SINGAPORE: Workers who continuously show up at work but are burning out due to pressure, job uncertainty, and stalled professional growth are said to be ‘quiet cracking’, but netizens online are not surprised that this worrying workplace issue was felt “frequently” by about three in 10 Singapore workers.

The poll conducted by global recruitment consultancy and talent solutions firm Robert Walters on LinkedIn also found the same issue felt “occasionally” by nearly seven in 10 Singapore respondents.

On r/singapore, a netizen wrote, “Are we surprised? When job performance doesn’t guarantee job security or job advancement, more and more nowadays, this is only expected.”

Others were just as unsurprised, saying, “This has been going on for a while.”

One commenter said employees are expected to “overdeliver and outperform to justify their pay,” facing stress not just from their work but also from growing competition with foreign talent, and the risk of being laid off anytime amid left and right restructuring these days.

Meanwhile, another added, “This is what happens when we’re always enriching others instead of ourselves, mentally and physically. The rat race will burn us out.”

Besides quiet cracking, other younger workers seem to be quitting corporate altogether as it’s not “the goal” anymore. Some have even considered becoming a hairdresser instead, as unlike the constant grind of corporate—which is said to leave people exhausted and soulless—they never saw hairdressers quit for the same reasons. /TISG

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