Job Hugging in 2025: The Quiet Workplace Trend You Need to Know

We’ve had the Great Resignation, quiet quitting and now we’re firmly in the era of ‘job hugging.’ As the name would suggest, job hugging is a term used to describe holding onto your job, but it is more out of necessity, than a genuine desire to stay in the role. According to data from The UK Job and the Market Report from Adzuna around the UK job market, vacancies and average salaries are falling, with employees understandably concerned over the economic uncertainty they find themselves in. The economic uncertainty has resulted in the job hugging trend, which is apparent across the globe.

Is Job Hugging Beneficial?

On the surface, it might seem like job hugging is beneficial to employers, after all, it means they will naturally improve their employee retention levels. However, although this may be the case, it also results in employees remaining in their post because they have to, rather than because they want to. The consequences of this could include:

• Low Employee Productivity - just because someone is there in person, it does not necessarily mean they are engaged. Although employers want to improve employee retention levels, they are not much use to them if they are producing very little. It is not always easy to get rid of unproductive employees either, especially if they have been with the company for over two years. There are processes to follow and these can often be time consuming.
• Poor Attitude - negative attitudes in the workplace can be catastrophic for a business. Some people have the inability to continue doing their work to the best of their ability when they have already mentally checked out. If an employee feels like they are only staying in the job through job hugging, it is unlikely that they will have the best attitude.
• Resentment - employees may even feel resentful towards their employer, which could manifest in many different ways. None of which are beneficial to their employer.

Can You Re-Engage Employees?

If you believe that any of your employees are job hugging due to economic uncertainty, rather than a genuine desire to remain in the business, there are ways you can improve workforce engagement.

• Communicate - if you suspect that an employee would rather be anywhere else, whether it is through their productivity or attitude, speak to them. Take time to understand their needs and try to find a solution that benefits both parties. For example, do they want a more challenging role? Would they appreciate some additional training and development? Is their salary an issue for them? When you understand their desires more clearly, you can get a better idea of how to re-engage them.
• Open Door - make sure your employees feel comfortable to knock on your door about their concerns by creating an open door policy. In this way, you can nip issues in the bud before they become problematic.
• Set Goals - simply setting some goals can be enough to re-engage your workforce. Goals can help improve employee productivity and motivation. They don’t need to be massive, elaborate goals, simple daily goals can be enough to yield great results. 

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