How HR can Help the 21% of Employees who do not Feel Valued

How engaged is your workforce? According to Gallup’s 2026 employee engagement survey, less than one-third (31%) of employees felt actively engaged with their work over the past two years, following a steady decline after 2020 (36%).

TalentLMS, an online training site, has coined the decline in engagement “quiet cracking,” which, unlike the common term “quiet quitting,” focuses more on the impact of employee disengagement on the business as a whole. 

In fact, disengaged employees cost the global economy $438 billion in 2024. 

Further research shows that one-fifth (20%) of employees experience quiet cracking frequently, and one-third (34%) occasionally, highlighting that HR leaders should view this invisible trend as one that needs immediate attention.

What really is quiet cracking?

A post-pandemic workplace saw the Great Resignation – a period which saw a large number of employees leaving the workforce, primarily driven by burnout, wage stagnation and the new desire for increased flexibility.

Now, a few years on, employees are remaining in their jobs, but have fallen into a “funk,” where they’re “silently cracking under persistent pressure”.

According to TalentLMS, more than half (54%) of employees have experienced the feeling of quiet cracking to some degree, which is perpetuated by an “uncertain economy”, “lack of career growth”, and a fear that their skills will become “outdated” due to emerging threats – such as AI.

In fact, TalentLMS further defines quiet cracking as a “feeling of disconnection, of not being heard, seen, or supported with growth or learning opportunities. 

“Over time, it leads to disengagement, decreased productivity, and eventually, attrition.”

Further findings from Gallup indicate that disengaged employees impose an annual economic burden of $8.8 trillion globally, representing close to 9% of total GDP lost to workplace dissatisfaction.

Yet unlike the Great Resignation, this phenomenon is harder to track immediately through metrics – but it can be spotted in other areas. 

For example, employees who are experiencing quiet cracking are less likely to take on extra responsibility, share ideas with colleagues and attend company events.

As a result, they can cause a “down team momentum”, becoming bottlenecks rather than bridges, which can erode the trust and energy of others in the team. These employees are also harder to retain, as they are less likely to speak out about their unhappiness and rather actively seek employment elsewhere. 

So how can HR leaders monitor and manage the problem?

What HR leaders must do now?

TalentLMS identifies job security as a key driver of employee satisfaction. 

When asked about their job security, 82% of employees reported feeling secure in their jobs today. However, this dropped to 62% when asked about their future with the company.

As a result, companies that offer internal surveys or retention initiatives may have a “false sense of security about their employees’ mindset.” 

A disconnect is therefore created between overall job security and how employees feel about their future, indicating insecure employer-employee relations. 

What’s more, the key drivers that most concern employees were found to be economic uncertainty (38%), workload and job expectations (31%), poor leadership or unclear company direction (27%), layoffs (25%), inadequate compensation or benefits (25%), lack of career opportunities (23%), and cultural dynamics (21%).

The study found that the most productive way to combat this was through providing training, as employees who received training in the last 12 months were 140% more likely to feel valued and secure in their jobs.

Increased employee recognition was also named as a “low-cost, high-impact” tactic to demonstrate appreciation for employees.  

This is particularly important, as 21% of employees shared that they don’t feel valued or recognised for their contributions at work, with quiet cracking employees 152% more likely to say this. 

TalentLMS, therefore, recommends peer-to-peer shoutouts, monthly recognition spotlights, and tying recognition to values and goals.

Finally, 29% of employees share that their workload is unmanageable, and 15% don’t clearly understand their role expectations, once again highlighting the need for managers to intervene with better support.

So with this in mind, how much of your workforce do you think is suffering from quiet cracking – and what steps do you want to take to prevent it?