Latest news with #quietquitting
Fox News
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
GenZ Has a New Weird Habit...
GenZ has a habit that's really annoying employers! I'm Tomi Lahren, more next. First it was 'quiet quitting,' then the awkward blank 'GenZ stare, and now this.. GenZers are trying out a new phone behavior and their older co-workers and employers are quite annoyed by it… Instead of answering a phone call with the typical and standard 'hello,' many in that generation just breathe into the phone and wait for the caller to say something first. Older co-workers and employers are fed up, as they should be. It's rude, it's weird, it's unprofessional and SO AWKWARD! And this isn't just anecdotal, a YouGov poll taken in the UK last year found that one in four Brits between 18 and 24-years-old think it is ok to answer a phone call without any form of greeting whatsoever. Only 27% of Millennials in that same survey feel it's acceptable to 'phone ghost.' My generation is a bit more socially adjusted, it seems! Now in their defense, GenZers who practice this weird phone faux pas say they do it to filter out robo and spam callers. I think this is a lame excuse. More accurately, Zoomers seem to find it more difficult to interact with others if not through text or a computer screen. Either way, they better get used to it! I'm Tomi Lahren and you can watch my show 'Tomi Lahren is Fearless' at Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Forbes
3 days ago
- General
- Forbes
Mattering At Work Is Non-Negotiable
A sense of mattering happens in small, repeated moments, such as while walking to desks after a ... More meeting. 'It's fine that I could be replaced tomorrow. And that, like, my manager doesn't even notice what I'm doing. I could even kind of do nothing and I bet it might fly right by. That's all, you know, fine. I get a paycheck and it is what it is and that's that. It's fine.' I hear coaching clients reel off variations of that speech on the regular. The number of repeats of 'it's fine' make it abundantly clear that it's absolutely not fine. That coupled with the fact that they reached out for coaching due to career dissatisfaction! In a culture where sudden layoffs are abundant, 1 in 5 workers believe their work is useless, and 'quiet quitting' seems rational if not even desirable, we may want to convince ourselves that it's no big deal to not matter at work. But why should it be fine to feel replaceable? To feel unseen? To feel that our work is unnecessary? Feeling invisible for large parts of our waking hours goes against fundamental human needs, argues Zach Mercurio, Ph.D., researcher and leadership development facilitator, in The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance, his recent book published by Harvard Business Review Press. (Disclosure: Dr. Mercurio and I have collaborated on projects in the past.) What Is Mattering? Mercurio defines mattering as 'the experience of feeling significant to those around us because we feel valued and know that we add value.' It arises from three experiences: Notice that all of these are perceived by the individual. Others behaviors are absolutely essential to feeling like we matter, but so too is how we attend to and think about those behaviors. In addition, experiences need to be repeated frequently in order to contribute to a sense of mattering. Small, recurring interactions that make people feel like they matter are much more effective than occasional, grand gestures. In fact, I often hear from coaching clients how the latter experiences can feel inauthentic and/or calculated. For instance, receiving a recognition award at an annual meeting typically does little to nothing to counteract the experience of being overlooked and dismissed on the daily. Sheer volume of interactions is not enough to create a sense of mattering at work; quality of interactions matters most. Mercurio points to research showing that, 'people's loneliness increased in proportion with their meeting load.' When interactions are cold, transactional, and/or dismissive, having more of them certainly doesn't make us more engaged at work. All in all, we believe we matter at work if we have frequent experiences that reinforce our sense of being noticed, affirmed, and needed. Strong leaders make a practice of these behaviors throughout each and every workday, and their team members feel the difference. Is Mattering The Same As Other Concepts? It's easy to think of mattering as interchangeable with many other concepts, and in the process to undermine its importance. In his book, Mercurio makes a case for a distinction between mattering and three other concepts, in particular: When we feel noticed, affirmed, and needed at work, we experience greater motivation, resilience, ... More and overall well-being. Why Does Mattering Matter? Mattering is a psychological need, not a 'nice to have.' It's easy to dismiss the desire to feel noticed, affirmed, and needed as icing on the cake of work needs, but we cannot work sustainably without these experiences. 'People who fully experience mattering are more motivated, more resilient, and far likelier to experience well-being,' Mercurio writes, summing up a mass of research. Not surprisingly, productivity, KPIs, and overall performance improve with increases in mattering within a workforce. Engagement and retention of individuals who feel like they matter at work are also much higher than those who feel redundant, dismissed and/or unheard. As one of my coaching clients said after making a career change, 'People are actually happy to see me show up each day. They ask my opinion. They see me for me. I feel like I'm truly needed and wanted there. It's like night and day." Simultaneously, she noted, her hair had stopped falling out, her prediabetes was better controlled, and her sleep had markedly improved. I see cases like hers every single day in my coaching practice. Mattering at work is like a wonder drug. We cannot flourish without feeling like we matter - and all it takes is a bit of time and intention on the part of our colleagues and managers.
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Quiet cracking' is affecting millions of workers — why it's dangerous and how to spot it
From The Great Resignation to quiet quitting, there's been no shortage of trends over the past few years that reflect growing dissatisfaction and disengagement in the workplace. The latest is quiet cracking, a phrase coined by TalentLMS, a learning management system company. The term describes a persistent sense of burnout and stagnation that leads to disengagement, poor performance, and a quiet urge to quit. Research from TalentLMS found that one in five employees (20%) are experiencing this phenomena on a frequent or constant basis, while another 34% say they experience it occasionally. 'Unlike quiet quitting, it doesn't show up in performance metrics immediately. But it is just as dangerous,' according to TalentLMS's report. And there's a tangible cost to this: Each year, disengaged employees cost the global economy $8.8 trillion, according to Gallup. Don't miss Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan 'works every single time' to kill debt, get rich in America — and that 'anyone' can do it What is quiet cracking? While quiet quitting refers to workers who purposely slack off at a job they no longer want, quiet cracking refers to those who 'gradually become mired in feeling both unappreciated by managers and closed off from career advancement while doing work they otherwise like,' according to an article in Inc. Or, as TalentLMS puts it, people who feel 'some kind of workplace funk.' It goes beyond employee disengagement. Rather, 'it's something deeper and harder to detect,' according to TalentLMS. Employees are 'silently cracking under persistent pressure.' Those who frequently or constantly experience quiet cracking are '68% less likely to feel valued and recognized at work' compared to their peers, while only 62% feel 'secure and confident' in their future with the company. But this trend is also hard for employers to pinpoint. And even employees don't always recognize the warning signs until they're 'spinning their wheels doing jobs they're losing interest in yet stick with, fearing it will be too difficult to find a new one,' according to Inc. The TalentLMS survey of 1,000 U.S. employees found that their top concerns include: Economic uncertainty Workload and job expectations Poor leadership or uncertain company direction Layoffs or restructuring Lack of career advancement opportunities Read more: Americans are 'revenge saving' to survive — but millions only get a measly 1% on their savings. The trends impacting quiet cracking, and how to mitigate them The TalentLMS survey of 1,000 U.S. employees found that top concerns include: Economic uncertainty Workload and job expectations Poor leadership or uncertain company direction Layoffs or restructuring Lack of career advancement opportunities If so many employees are quietly cracking, what can employers and employees do about it? Recognizing what causes this condition is the first step toward finding solutions. The solution to this isn't actually that complicated, according to Nikhil Arora, CEO of Epignosis, the parent company of TalentLMS. 'When people feel stuck, unheard or unsure about their future, that's when disengagement creeps in. Giving employees space to grow — through learning, skilling and real conversations — is one of the most powerful ways to turn things around,' he said in a release. 1. Uncertainty and overload It's important to set expectations and balance workloads, since 29% of employees say their workload is unmanageable. This can be done by auditing workload distribution and providing stress management tools to employees. This can help them 'rediscover a sense of purpose and forward momentum, something we all seek at work and in life.' 2. Lack of recognition and growth Respondents who experienced quiet cracking are also 152% more likely to say they don't feel valued and recognized for the contributions at work. One of the simplest ways to combat this, according to TalentLMS, is to regularly recognize employees for their contributions. It's also important to set expectations and balance workloads, since 29% of employees say their workload is unmanageable. This can be done by auditing workload distribution and providing stress management tools to employees. 3. Few learning or career advancement opportunities The survey found that employees who received training in the past 12 months are 140% more likely to feel secure in their jobs — and TalentLMS advises employers to 'double down on learning and development' with 'structured, ongoing learning paths.' When it comes to combatting doubts about career advancement, 'employers must show belief in their employees' potential, which includes supporting growth, even when resources are tight,' according to an article in HR Executive. That could include mentorship and training opportunities, as well as clear communication about future paths. What employees and employers can do Employees who recognize the symptoms of quiet cracking can talk to their manager about managing their workload or clarifying job expectations. They could also provide suggestions to improve morale (such as peer-to-peer recognition) and ask about training and development opportunities. If these efforts turn out to be fruitless, it may be time to look for another job. Employers who want to tackle this form of disengagement can get started by auditing their current engagement efforts, identifying 'gaps in managerial support and recognition,' and starting small 'with consistent feedback and learning programs,' according to TalentLMS. As the report points out, quiet cracking isn't a well-being issue. Rather, it's a business issue: 'When employees quietly crack, they take productivity, creativity and loyalty with them.' Because when employees quietly crack, companies loudly pay the price. What to read next Robert Kiyosaki warns of 'massive unemployment' in the US due to the 'biggest change' in history — and says this 1 group of 'smart' Americans will get hit extra hard. Are you one of them? How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Stay in the know. Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise sent straight to your inbox every week for free. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind. Solve the daily Crossword
South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- South China Morning Post
Younger Hongkongers are taking it slow and steady? Good
Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@ or filling in this Google form . Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification One afternoon in Mong Kok, I watched a mother place a milk tea beside her daughter, who sat quietly with her laptop closed. No lecture, no judgment – just quiet understanding. That small gesture stayed with me. As someone who works in vision coaching with Hong Kong youth, I see this same quiet recalibration in many of my sessions: young people choosing to pause. This shift isn't about laziness. It's a sign of reflection. After years of racing towards grades, titles and expectations, many are asking better questions. One young client said, 'If I keep sprinting like this for 10 more years, what kind of person will I be?' That isn't apathy – it's awareness. There's even a name for it: 'cozymaxxing', a trend where young people build comfort and recovery into their daily lives. I've seen clients replace all-nighters with slow walks, side hustles with sleep. They're not rejecting ambition, they're reshaping it. In a recent Randstad study, 45 per cent of Hong Kong millennials reported that they have 'quiet quit' due to job dissatisfaction, with around one in three having skipped work for the same reason. The system many grew up trusting, it seems, no longer guarantees a life worth living. Think of the Peak Tram. It doesn't race. It climbs steadily, at its own pace, and always gets there. That's the kind of ambition I am seeing more of: slower, more intentional, grounded in long-term well-being.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
I'm A Gender Researcher. This Is The Real Reason Women Are Stepping Away From Dating And Relationships.
Ava, 27, seemed unbothered by her partner's inability to communicate his emotions. 'We have enough to think about,' she told me as she slid her laptop out of her tote bag, still dressed in her tweed blazer from work. It wasn't serious, anyway. She'd been dating Max for a few months when it struck her — mid-conversation with a friend — that she had no idea what he felt about her or their future. So she stopped asking. There was a time, she said, when she would've tried harder. Sara, 21, recalled sitting on her bed while her boyfriend begged her to hear him out. He wasn't remorseful for cheating; he just no longer wanted to sit with his shame. 'I was done,' she said. And yet, he expected her to comfort him. 'I had to help him find the words for his feelings, not his actions,' — long silences, teasing through shame and self-hatred. 'He didn't know what he wanted to say,' she said. 'And then I made him feel OK about it." These stories reflect a shift among young women in which more and more of them are 'quiet-quitting' these relationships. Women are now 23% less likely to want to date than men, not because they don't care, but because they feel they've invested too much emotional labor without support in return. The Other Side Of The Masculinity Crisis? The Exhausting Emotional Intelligence Gap. In intimate relationships, young women are taking on a disproportionate load of invisible emotional labor, often supporting men through intense feelings of failure and isolation from friends. Many men described feeling 'weird or like a waste of time' when opening up to male friends, instead reserving vulnerability for their relationships with women. While men consider this unburdening to women a 'natural part' of their relationships, those same women describe it as work— what researchers at Stanford University call 'mankeeping.' Over the past two years, I've interviewed dozens of young men and women about their relationships. What's emerged is a sense that women are absorbing the emotional fallout of a crisis they didn't create. The anxieties surrounding what it means to be a man in 2025 should matter to everyone. They're reshaping not just our politics, but the very fabric of how women and men interact — shaping how we love, how we vote, and whether we can build a future together at all. Telling the other side of the 'masculinity crisis' is key to solving it. The crisis is especially acute for younger men — with two-thirds reporting that 'no one really knows them.' Christopher Pepper, co-author of Talk To Your Boys, notes that Gen Z is the first generation to rely mostly on their phones to communicate. 'There's no responsibility for what's on the receiving end [of online communication],' he said, with online spaces often devolving into slurs and death threats 'that wouldn't be acceptable in other situations.' For the 60% of men who engage with masculinity influencers, friendship itself is evolving: ambition, wealth and popularity are prioritized over trust. In individualist countries like the U.K. and U.S., this shift is more pronounced — perhaps owed to the glamorization of lone-wolf masculinity, in which vulnerability is discouraged. When 'The Costs Of Caring' Are Too Much Meanwhile, young women are rejecting patriarchal expectations that previous generations internalized. Once expected to shoulder emotional labor as a normal part of relationships, they are now more aware of the 'costs of caring,' including suppressing their own needs. They're less inclined to date, with 56% saying 'it's hard to find someone who meets their expectations,' compared to 35% of men. From 'I'm Not Your Therapist' to 'I'm literally Joan Baez,' Gen Z women are resisting the notion of offering up too much to men. While some women told me that men without emotional fluency are unattractive, others hesitate to expect it, fearing they'll be labelled 'controlling'. Several women I spoke with expressed concern over how dating men affects their economic futures. The role of women as invisible drivers of men's success isn't new, but with young people struggling to find jobs at unprecedented rates, it's taken a new form. From job hunting to burnout, 'women tend to provide increased emotional support to men who do not have it elsewhere.' Mankeeping is typically tied to thinner social networks, but for Gen Z, it's more about men's inability to share their struggles with other men. All men I spoke with felt they couldn't be as honest about their jobs with their male friends. In contrast, most young women I interviewed described how stepping in during 'unsettled times' negatively impacted their work and well-being. This labor has become an invisible workplace obstacle, as instant communication has erased the natural boundaries that once separated work and emotional caregiving. COVID-19 only exacerbated these dynamics, with many surprised by how quickly they 'played house' during lockdown — over-focusing on their partner's needs instead of their own. A default response learned in their teens and early 20s, it's been challenging to unlearn. Some have gone further: writing partner's college essays, preparing scholarship presentations, coaching them on job interviews. In some cases, their partners actively diminished their career success. 'When he heard where I worked, he looked at me predatorily,' one woman said. He later pressured her to refer him to her company, convincing her it would be best for their relationship. Some men seek proximity to success without realizing the toll it takes on their self-esteem. A Job Women Didn't Sign Up For Broader beliefs about gender equity are shaping how much support partners expect — and feel entitled to — from each other. Women feel as though men aren't doing enough to support gender equality, whereas 60% of men believe they're expected to do too much. The stereotype suggests that women require more support in relationships, but Gen Z's 'emotion work' — the labor required to bridge the gap between expectations and reality — is especially stark in a generation that expects so much of young men while providing them limited support. Across hundreds of hours of interviews, distinct forms of emotional labor have emerged — confirming what researchers have long observed: Women are more often expected to carry this emotional load in relationships. Like Ava, many women are stepping back from this distinct form of work, from dating, and from committed relationships. They report that dating is harder than 10 years ago, and are twice as likely as men to cite physical and emotional risk as reasons why dating has become more challenging — 62% of single women report they're not looking to date at all, compared to 37% of men. Even before entering relationships, a young woman is likely to have experienced emotional and physical abuse. Among teenage girls, 80% report that sexual assault is 'normal and common' in their friendship groups — before they even finish high school. About half of Gen Z women report feeling disrespected by men, compared to 18% of men; 42% of women report being pressured into sex on a date, and intimate partner abuse has now been cited as an indicator of attitudes that underpin extreme violence. Both these realities might partially explain why young men are dating less than previous generations. Gen Z men are more than twice as likely as Boomers to report that they didn't have a significant other as teenagers, and women are increasingly opting to date older men to avoid having to 'mother' their significant other. 'Unless you're really in love,' one Gen Z woman told me, 'then it's not your problem if they're not emotionally available.' Millennials have a different lens: 'It's a feminism thing,' Becca, 31, told me. 'But also a way of processing the outsized support we gave them' — a kind of paying it forward to another woman's future boyfriend. The more women are left to shoulder the burden of the masculinity crisis, the more likely they are to withdraw. But the more they do, the more boys feel rejected. Loneliness leaves boys vulnerable to voices that reframe their abandonment. One in six boys aged 6-15 have a positive impression of Andrew Tate, and across 30 countries, Gen Z men are 30% more conservative than women. No other generation has a gender divergence — social and political — at this scale. If we want to interrupt this spiral, we must stop asking women to keep absorbing the damage. We need to offer boys a healthier model of masculinity that speaks to their needs — but doesn't come at girls' expense. That means listening to why women are pulling away and creating pathways for boys to grow without leaning on women. A recent survey exploring young men's health in a digital world, 55% of the young men who watch masculinity influencers believe that women don't care about men. My research shows that women do care. They just want relationships that don't lean on traditional gender roles. Meanwhile, boys deserve better than a culture that mocks their confusion without showing them a path through it. That path begins with both sides recognizing what the other is carrying — and letting go of narratives that cast boys as aggressors before they even reach adolescence. Instead, as Pepper puts it, it's 'fine to give boys and men some homework.' This homework begins with fostering self-awareness, emotional literacy and responsibility for your actions. A Model For Modern Masculinity Men often lack these emotional skills precisely because they've rarely been expected — or permitted — to develop them. Instead, young women have been tasked with practicing and perfecting emotional labor. Traditional masculine norms like pride often keep men from extending their expressions of vulnerability beyond the comfort of romantic relationships. Many fear that admitting they're overwhelmed will diminish their self-worth. Emotional fluency will take practice. And because expectations of manhood haven't evolved as quickly as those for women, that practice must be met with patience. Our understanding of masculinity must also shift to make space for emotional connection between men. Vulnerability is often taught by women and associated with intimacy — leaving little room to express it in male friendships. But men need friendships grounded in trust, mutual honesty and shared vulnerability. Nearly every man I spoke to said his male friendships left him feeling worse about himself. This not only deprives men of the full range of support they need in tough times, but limits nuance in emotionally complex situations. As several male interviewees pointed out, their friends were often quick to 'hate' or 'blame' women after breakups. Instead of emotional language that deepens the gender divide, it can instead be used to bridge it, helping men move through hurt with reflection and toward growth. Finally, we need to redefine what it means for men to be a 'provider.' Caring for others should be central to what masculinity can mean. We must also rethink what it means to 'protect,' as many men I spoke to believed withholding their emotions was a form of care. Dating teaches us many things: how to take emotional risks, how to fail, how to communicate. Above all, relationships teach us how to be vulnerable. But with 29% more men than women in Gen Z currently single, a gender skills gap will only continue to widen. As more women step back from relationships, many men may never get the chance to learn. Those who took on this homework — who shared their burdens with friends, practiced self-awareness and showed up with emotional fluency — weren't just more attractive to the women they dated. They also became better partners. If we are to love each other, masculinity has to evolve to hold that vulnerability, for everyone's article originally appeared on HuffPost.
