Across industries, a new workplace behavior is quietly reshaping workforce dynamics: “job-hugging.” Unlike traditional retention, job-hugging occurs when employees remain in their roles not because they are fulfilled or engaged, but because leaving feels too risky in an uncertain labor market.
Recent research highlights just how widespread the phenomenon has become. According to a survey cited in Forbes on the rise of job hugging, 75% of workers say they plan to stay in their current roles through at least 2027, with nearly half admitting fear or economic uncertainty—not satisfaction—is the primary reason they remain.
Artificial intelligence is amplifying these concerns. Surveys show many workers worry automation will reshape or eliminate roles, leading them to prioritize stability over opportunity. In this environment, organizations may misinterpret caution as loyalty or disengagement as complacency.
But leaders who understand the signals of job-hugging can address it proactively. Members of the Senior Executive HR Think Tank, a community of human resources leaders and advisors, say the solution isn’t forcing engagement—it’s creating clarity, psychological safety and meaningful pathways for growth in an AI-enabled workplace.
Their insights reveal how organizations can detect job-hugging early and transform fear into forward momentum.
“Fear often masquerades as loyalty.”
Reframing AI Conversations to Reduce Fear
For Chuck Gallagher, President of Ethics Resource Group, job-hugging often surfaces when employees feel uncertain about how AI will affect their careers.
Gallagher’s organization works with companies to design AI governance frameworks that help organizations deploy AI responsibly and strategically. Through that work, he says, many leaders misdiagnose the problem.
“Leadership thought they were facing slow AI adoption,” Gallagher says. “In reality, employees were job-hugging—not disengaged, but uncertain and quietly fearful about their future in an AI-driven market.”
Gallagher explains that fear frequently disguises itself as loyalty. Employees may continue performing well, but their reluctance to experiment, innovate or take risks signals deeper uncertainty.
Clarity reduces anxiety. “Instead of monitoring performance,” he says, “we encouraged transparent discussions about how AI would impact roles and create opportunity.”
Furthermore, Gallagher believes the solution begins with inclusion. “The organization embraced AI tools while providing structured education, practical use cases and psychological safety for those who weren’t early adopters,” he explains.
Ultimately, leaders must frame AI as an investment in human capability rather than a replacement strategy. “When employees see leadership investing in their growth alongside innovation,” Gallagher says, “they feel secure, valued and engaged rather than threatened.”
“The person who used to bring energy into meetings is now more reserved.”
Noticing the Quiet Signals of Disengagement
For Kelly Murphy, Founder and Strategic HR Advisor at Lean In HR, job-hugging often appears long before formal engagement surveys or performance reviews reveal it.
Murphy’s firm helps small organizations build effective HR practices without full-time internal departments, giving her insight into subtle shifts in workplace energy.
“Job-hugging isn’t something to ‘fix,’” Murphy says. “It starts with leaders who are paying attention.”
Instead of declining productivity, she says the earliest warning signs are behavioral changes. “The person who used to bring energy into meetings is now more reserved,” Murphy explains. “The one who challenged ideas thoughtfully now just nods.”
Ironically, performance may remain strong. “Sometimes their work product actually improves,” Murphy notes. “They are doing the job well—but the fire is gone.”
McKinsey research reinforces why employees may feel uncertain about long-term job security. According to the study on the future of work, automation and AI could transform nearly 30% of hours worked in the U.S. economy by 2030, forcing many workers to rethink their career trajectories.
Murphy encourages leaders to ask deeper questions during routine interactions. “Who used to be engaged but is now quiet?” she says. “When was the last time I asked about their growth, not just their deliverables?” Consider the elephant in the room: “Is this a tough week, or is this someone surviving while looking for their next opportunity?”
The most effective intervention is simple but powerful: psychological safety. “Have transparent conversations about how AI will—and won’t—impact their role,” Murphy says. “When leaders create space for honest dialogue about workload, skill development and internal mobility, employees regain a sense of control.”
Using Performance Conversations to Surface Hidden Concerns
Steve Degnan, Advisor, Board Member and Former CHRO, says job-hugging rarely goes unnoticed by leadership for long.
“The bad news for those practicing job hugging is that their bosses likely can sense it,” Degnan says. However, organizations often fail to address it early. Degnan believes existing HR processes already offer opportunities to surface the issue—if leaders use them effectively.
“Performance reviews and development discussions should include open-ended questions that reveal core issues and frustrations,” he explains. Many companies are shifting toward more frequent check-ins, replacing annual reviews with ongoing conversations about engagement and growth. “These are good times to check in on enthusiasm—or the lack of it,” Degnan says.
He also suggests looking at indirect indicators. “HR leaders should check the net utilization of any mental health tools they offer,” he says. “This can be a leading indicator of low engagement.”
As workplace uncertainty increases, monitoring well-being signals becomes increasingly important. Workforce research shows that economic uncertainty and changing workloads are already driving higher burnout levels across industries. For Degnan, the key is curiosity rather than assumption. “When leaders ask thoughtful questions about career goals, frustrations and aspirations,” he says, “employees are far more likely to share the concerns behind their behavior.”
Creating Radical Psychological Safety for High Performers
According to Michelle Arieta, Chief People Officer and Consultant at Polaris Pathways, job-hugging is often misinterpreted as disengagement.
“Job hugging isn’t just ‘low engagement’—it’s a fear-based survival tactic,” Arieta says.
Her consultancy helps growing companies address people-related bottlenecks during periods of rapid change, and she often sees high performers become unusually cautious. “If you’re waiting for a performance review to detect it, you’ve already lost,” she says.
Arieta calls the most visible sign “The Wall.” “It’s not underperformance,” she explains. “It’s a high-performer who stops challenging the status quo.” Instead of pushing ideas forward, these employees become unusually agreeable. “They become agreeable to a fault because they don’t want to be the nail that gets hit,” Arieta says.
In her view, traditional management responses—metrics, incentives or performance plans—miss the underlying issue. “You can’t KPI someone out of fear,” she says.
The real solution is cultural. “You need radical psychological safety,” Arieta says. “Move the conversation from ‘Why aren’t you engaged?’ to ‘What are you protecting?’”
When leaders address the fear behind the behavior, she adds, engagement returns naturally.
Turning Uncertainty Into Growth Conversations
Amy Douglas, Chief, Culture and Connection at Levata Human Performance, believes job-hugging should be interpreted as valuable organizational data.
“I don’t see job-hugging as something to fix,” Douglas says. “I see it as data.”
Douglas has more than 28 years of experience in organizational design and leadership development, helping companies translate culture into measurable performance outcomes.
When employees begin narrowing their scope or avoiding risk, leaders should assume uncertainty is driving the shift. “Pressure doesn’t drive performance,” Douglas says. “Trust does.”
The first step is acknowledging reality. “Leaders who acknowledge uncertainty—without catastrophizing or false reassurance—create psychological safety,” she explains.
From there, conversations shift from job security to adaptability. “The conversation becomes: ‘How am I growing my relevance?’” Practically, that means focusing on development rather than reassurance.
Douglas recommends future-focused career discussions, early investment in skills and clear signals about how an employee’s work contributes to organizational impact.
“When people feel seen, stretched and supported,” she says, “they don’t cling—they engage.”
“Move the conversation from job security to skill security.”
Shifting the Focus From Job Security to Skill Security
For Nicole Cable, Chief People and Experience Officer at Blue Zones Health, the key to addressing job-hugging is reframing what security means.
“Job-hugging is rarely about laziness,” Cable says. “It is about uncertainty.”
Cable leads culture strategy and employee experience initiatives for the healthcare organization, which focuses on preventive care and longevity. She says managers must become more attentive to emotional signals rather than relying solely on performance metrics.
“The signal is subtle,” she says. “High performers become quieter. Creative thinkers become compliant.” Detection requires emotional intelligence. “Managers must notice energy shifts, not just output,” Cable explains.
Once leaders recognize the pattern, clarity becomes the most powerful intervention. “Leaders must articulate what AI is changing, what it is not changing and where human value still compounds,” she says.
Then the conversation shifts toward capability. “Move from job security to skill security,” Cable says. “What capabilities make you adaptable here? What pathways exist internally?”
When organizations invest in employee growth rather than promising stability, fear begins to diminish.
“When employees believe their growth matters more than their position,” she says, “they stop hugging the job and start leaning into the future.”
Normalizing AI Literacy as a Career Skill
Aida Figuerola, Neuropsychologist at Neurolift, believes job-hugging often stems from fears of becoming professionally irrelevant.
“You can’t stop progress,” Figuerola says. “Every era demands new skills, new tools and new ways of working.”
Historically, technological shifts have required workers to develop new capabilities—from computer literacy to digital communication. “AI literacy is now a basic professional skill,” Figuerola says. Rather than resisting the technology, she advises organizations to normalize learning. “Job-hugging often reflects fear of becoming irrelevant,” she explains.
Companies can reduce that fear through practical action. “Invest in upskilling, enable internal mobility and hold honest career conversations,” Figuerola says.
When employees feel valued for their ability to evolve, engagement rises. “When people feel valued for their ability to grow,” she says, “fear drops and engagement increases.”
Leadership Playbook: Practical Ways to Reduce Job-Hugging
- Reframe AI as capability growth, not workforce replacement.
When leaders explain how AI enhances human capability rather than replacing it, employees feel safer experimenting and learning. - Pay attention to behavioral signals, not just performance metrics.
A drop in curiosity, risk-taking or debate often reveals deeper anxiety about career stability. - Use check-ins and development conversations to surface concerns early.
Frequent discussions about career goals and frustrations help uncover hidden fears before they affect engagement. - Create radical psychological safety for high performers.
Employees must feel safe challenging ideas and taking risks without fear of career consequences. - Shift the conversation from job security to adaptability.
When employees understand how they can stay relevant, uncertainty becomes less threatening. - Clarify how AI changes work—and how it doesn’t.
Transparency helps employees understand where human expertise remains essential. - Normalize continuous learning and AI literacy.
Upskilling initiatives reassure employees that the organization is investing in their long-term relevance.
The Future of Engagement in an AI-Enabled Workforce
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape work, the psychology of job security is changing as well. Many employees are no longer leaving jobs impulsively—they are staying cautiously, waiting for clearer signals about the future of their profession.
For leaders, that caution should not be mistaken for loyalty or disengagement. As members of the HR Think Tank emphasize, job-hugging is often a signal of uncertainty rather than complacency. Organizations that respond with transparency, development opportunities and psychological safety can transform fear into engagement.
In the long term, companies that focus on adaptability rather than stability will be better positioned to navigate the evolving relationship between human talent and intelligent technology.
