‘Quiet cracking’ has been coined by HR experts to identify when employees become increasingly disconnected from their work as a result of AI. 

David Rice, HR expert at People Managing People explains: “Rather than intentionally disengaging from their work (quiet quitting) many employees are actually experiencing sincere uncertainty, anxiety, and detachment as they struggle to adapt to a workplace that's evolving at unprecedented speed - thanks to AI.” 

Research from TalentLMS1 reveals this persistent feeling of workplace unhappiness now affects more than half of employees (54%), with one in five experiencing it frequently or constantly. A further 15% said they don't clearly understand their role expectations in an AI-transformed workplace. 

Annual research released by Orgvue2 reveals that 39% of business leaders made employees redundant as a result of deploying AI. However, of those, over half (55%) admit they made wrong decisions about those redundancies.

“This means organisations are implementing the technology without fully understanding how AI should integrate with their human workforce.” David adds. 

To help businesses address ‘quiet cracking’ with employees, David shares his top tips: 

1. Implement Structured "Listening Sessions"

“Beyond regular check-ins, establish dedicated forums where employees can voice concerns, share ideas, and provide feedback, sessions where the point is to explore the conversation around AI. 

“The fact is, every role can implement it for different things and every individual will implement in different ways with different types of technical depth. So allow people to learn from each other and to highlight areas where the business shouldn't be using AI. 

“These sessions should be facilitated by trained moderators who can guide discussions constructively so that it doesn't devolve into a bunch of side conversations or overly opinionated conversations.”

2. Foster Transparent Career Pathways

“Employees often disengage when they lack clarity about their future within the organisation and a combination of irresponsible AI implementation and high profile media stories about layoffs are creating that uncertainty. 

“By outlining clear career progression paths, identifying skills that are useful in new roles you're developing and helping people see a pathway into that is important to easing their fears. On top of that, providing resources for skill development can instill a sense of direction and faith that the organization is investing in them. It's a bit morale boost.”

3. Cultivate a Culture of Recognition

“Regularly acknowledging and celebrating employee achievements can significantly enhance engagement and make people feel valued. 

“Implementing peer-recognition programs or spotlighting accomplishments in team meetings is an easy way to make people feel like their future is more likely with the company than not.”

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