“Our true work is not our job, that is what we do, not what we were created to do. Our true work is to look after each other, to protect each other and to be of benefit to one another.” —Bill Gates
“You’re not cracking up, but you may be waking up.” This was my response to a client who recently shared that she came across the concept of “quiet cracking” at work and was worried that she herself was “losing it.”
This recent addition to the list of mental health hazards in the workplace has a familiar ring. Suggesting that quiet cracking is a new “syndrome,” however, is a misconception that may add more pressure to workers to find their “true purpose” in a setting that may nor be wired with their best interests in mind.
Described as a persistent feeling of workplace unhappiness that leads to disengagement, poor performance, and an increased desire to quit, the signs of “quiet cracking” include:
Persistent unhappiness at work.
Lack of initiative or enthusiasm.
Feeling undervalued or unrecognized.
Emotional detachment from colleagues and work tasks.
Loss of confidence in one’s career path at the company.
A general sense of being “stuck” in a role with no visible opportunities.
For anyone who has been in the job market for more than five years (or sometimes much less) this is not a new list. Back in my day (that would be circa the early 1980s) we simply referred to this feeling as “having a job.” Sure, there were things we appreciated and even enjoyed about our work, but it always felt like an obligation, not a choice, and if we were lucky, the numbers on our paychecks helped balance the tradeoff between a life of leisure and one of a daily grind.
It has not always been the case that the American workforce looked to their jobs for self-fulfillment. Even during the days of pensions when the deal was “take care of the company and it will take care of you when you retire,” there was an awareness that our employer’s main goal was production and profit, not satisfaction and engagement.
It was not until the mid-20th century that the concept of finding meaning at work entered our collective consciousness due in large part to the humanistic psychology ideas of self-actualization. Since then, the concept has been broadened to where one’s overall wellness is seen as intrinsically tied to what one does for a living.
As workers now struggle to discern if they are experiencing burnout, compassion fatigue, moral distress, or quiet quitting, they are told that their attempts to manage the reality of having to work to stay above water are creating cracks in their mental and emotional armor. This seems like psychological piling on and more harmful than helpful in the long run.
While the search for fulfillment at work has been embedded in American culture for decades, and workplaces have greatly enhanced the services they offer workers, for many work remains where they go to earn a living, not to find enrichment. In a country where the song “Take this job and shove it” once had the feeling of an alternative national anthem, the irony of finding deep meaning in the office rings hollow.
When working with the stressed-out people I see in my role as an employee assistance professional, I’m often reminded of the following line from Drew Carey: “Oh, you hate your job? Why didn’t you say so? There’s a support group for that. It’s called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.”
There’s a strong possibility that “quiet cracking” is simply an updated version of the poet Charles Lamb’s lamentation, “Who first invented work, and bound the free and holiday-rejoicing spirit down…To that dry drudgery at the desk’s dead wood?”
As a therapist and employee assistance professional who daily helps workers cope with the stresses and strains of their jobs, my often-prescribed antidote is not to work longer, harder, or even smarter; it’s to find paths of wellness outside the office environment. Too many of the people I’ve met are “stuck” in jobs that by their very nature are stagnant, dreary, and even hazardous, with no rungs to move up a company ladder. For them, the idea of finding fulfillment at work is a dream beyond reach and yet they push on, many with hopes for finding greener pastures, with the realization that meeting basic needs is essential and in its own way rewarding. When I introduce the concept of “quiet cracking” to these clients, they understandably roll their eyes and shrug their shoulders with a “welcome to the club” expression.
Rather than add one more syndrome to list of reasons why work can be hazardous to one’s health, let’s reframe the experience, follow the lead of the positive psychology movement, and stop focusing on problems instead of solutions. There’s a distinct possibility that what is “cracking” is not people’s mental and emotional wellness but the very idea that the workplace was ever the proper repository for one’s precious mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. A better phrase might be “quiet awakening”—the realization that no matter how sincerely an employer wants their workers to be healthy and happy, the bottom line is still the desire to stay in business. This awakening can lead to growth as people turn to their non-work hours for opportunities to find true meaning and purpose.