Explainer: What is ‘quiet cracking,’ the inner struggle nearly 1/3 of Singapore workers are experiencing

SINGAPORE: Step aside, “quiet quitting,” a new and more worrying workplace issue referred to as “quiet cracking” has emerged.

While the former described the condition where workers did what was expected of them based on their job description and not a thing more than that, “quiet cracking” is far more insidious, as it is what happens when employees consistently come to work and actually perform well, but feel like they are burning out on the inside.

“Quiet cracking happens when employees continue to show up, but internally struggle under the weight of pressure, job uncertainty, and stalled professional growth. It is a slow, silent decline in well-being and performance, often triggered by poor leadership, unclear expectations, unmanageable workloads, and fear of job loss,” according to the 2026 Talent Trends report from the global recruitment consultancy and talent solutions firm Robert Walters.

Across the globe, around one-fifth of employees say they experience quiet cracking frequently or constantly, with a shade over a third (34%) saying they experience it occasionally.

While hardly anyone sees the early signs of quiet cracking, these can easily lead to worker disengagement, which in turn causes an “engagement recession,” which happens when quiet cracking spreads through different teams, negatively affecting the workplace culture and causing a downturn in productivity.

According to Phill Brown, the company’s Global Head of Market Intelligence, “Disengagement rarely appears suddenly. It shows up in small ways — a team that used to challenge ideas stops speaking up, or the person who always volunteered suddenly hangs back. When leaders notice these early signals and respond with curiosity, engagement rebuilds quickly and performance follows.”

The Robert Walters report says that almost half of employees who say they experience quiet cracking feel that their bosses don’t listen to their concerns, and nearly 8 in 10 managers have noticed decreasing productivity over the past year, which is linked to individual disengagement. 

Quiet cracking in Singapore

According to a poll conducted on LinkedIn alongside the report, 65% of Singapore respondents reported experiencing Quiet cracking occasionally. Alarmingly, almost a third (32%) said they experience it frequently.

Robert Walters’ Singapore country manager, Kirsty Poltock, also warned that disengagement has small beginnings, and likened it to a hairline fracture. 

She added that for employers to retain top talent, they need to create a work environment where workers are motivated to grow, collaborate, and succeed. 

“They will need to provide career clarity so employees can see a future with the organisation, while also creating simple, consistent practices that reinforce recognition and belonging. Above all, employee engagement must be treated as a daily leadership discipline, not a quarterly metric,” Human Resources Online quotes her as saying. /TISG 

Read also: “I went above & beyond… still got retrenched anyway when I wasn’t needed or when bosses started playing political games” — Singaporeans weigh in on “quiet quitting” report