LATELY, a new workplace trend has been making headlines: quiet cracking. Unlike quiet quitting, which is often a deliberate disengagement, quiet cracking is more subtle and more dangerous.
It describes employees who are still clocking in, replying to emails and delivering results but emotionally and mentally, they are hanging by a thread.
According to recent reports, more than half of employees globally are experiencing some form of quiet cracking.
Among Gen Z, that number jumps to 72%. These are young professionals showing up to work while silently struggling – often unseen and unheard – until performance drops, motivation fades, or worse, they leave without warning. The estimated global productivity cost? US$438 billion (RM1.84 trillion) annually.
As someone who works closely with employers and young talent, I am not surprised by the numbers but I am concerned by how little we are doing to address the root issue. Because if we are being honest, the warning signs have always been there. They just weren’t loud enough to trigger immediate change.
What is behind this silent crisis? Some of it is structural: job insecurity, limited growth opportunities and the anxiety of navigating AI disruption. But much of it comes down to something even more basic – a breakdown in communication.
In workplaces where people do not feel heard, appreciated or even noticed, it doesn’t take long before disengagement creeps in. When young employees are afraid to speak up – afraid that voicing concerns will make them look weak, ungrateful or replaceable – they don’t complain; they crack.
This is where we need to revisit something we often treat as “soft skills” but which, in reality, are anything but soft: communication.
More than a century ago, Dale Carnegie laid out a framework for human connection that still holds up today. His timeless advice: be a good listener, show sincere appreciation, avoid criticism and understand others’ perspectives. Sounds simple but in a high-pressure, KPI-driven workplace, it is often the first thing we forget.
I would argue that Carnegie’s approach is exactly what today’s managers and executives need to rediscover. Communication is not just about sending instructions or providing updates; it is also about building trust. In today’s workplace, trust is what keeps teams engaged, especially when things get tough.
If you lead a team, you don’t need to be a therapist or motivational speaker; you need to create a space where people can feel safe being honest – where a junior employee can say, “I am overwhelmed”, without fear of judgement or where someone struggling with direction feels it is okay to ask for clarity, not just complete another task on autopilot.
This is not just about being “nice”; it is about being effective. When people feel seen and supported, they bring more of themselves to work. They become more engaged, more invested and more likely to grow with the organisation.
Unfortunately, too many leaders are still stuck in outdated models, managing by metrics, not relationships. They hold one-on-ones to track performance without understanding what is affecting it. They give feedback but forget to ask for it. They talk but rarely listen.
It is easy to dismiss all this as generational sensitivity but we need to realise something, Gen Z are not asking for coddling; they are asking for connection. In a world that is increasingly automated and impersonal, they are craving meaning and belonging. If we cannot offer that, they will disengage – sometimes quietly, sometimes permanently.
So, what can we do? For starters, let us bring back Carnegie, not as a seminar but as a practice. Start conversations with sincerity and respect, personalise your approach, listen actively without rushing to respond, offer thoughtful feedback in place of criticism and acknowledge contributions genuinely. When you ask how someone is doing, take the time to listen to the answer.
On a systems level, employers should invest in communication training, not just technical upskilling. Equip managers to identify emotional signals and respond with empathy. Foster a culture where psychological safety is not just a concept but a daily practice.
Ensure feedback flows in all directions – from leaders to teams, and just as importantly, from teams back to leaders.
To be clear, communication won’t solve everything but it is a powerful starting point. When people feel genuinely heard at work, challenges won’t compound in silence; they begin to resolve through understanding.
To the young professionals out there who feel like they are quietly cracking, know this: you are not weak for feeling stuck; you are human. But you owe it to yourself to reach out, speak up and seek out leaders who will listen. Not all workplaces are created equal and you deserve to grow in one that sees you fully.
If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that performance without presence is not sustainable. In the end, people don’t burn out because they are working too hard; they burn out because they feel like they don’t matter.
We already have the tools to address this. What is needed now is the will to use them.
Not with ping pong tables or wellness slogans but with better conversations. Open communication strengthens trust, and trust is what truly sustains leadership.
Elman Mustafa El Bakri is CEO and founder of HESA Healthcare Recruitment Agency and serves on the Industrial Advisory Panel for the Department of Biomedical Engineering, Universiti Malaya.
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