‘Quiet cracking’ is spreading in offices: Half of workers are at breaking point, and it’s costing companies $438 billion in productivity loss

Woman working on a laptop with her head in her hands (Credit: Oleg Breslavtsev—Getty Images)

• “Quiet cracking” is the new workplace phenomenon sweeping offices. As AI looms over jobs and promotions stall, workers’ mental health is quietly fraying. For employers, it has resulted in a staggering $438 billion loss in global productivity in the past year alone. But not all hope is lost. A career expert tells Fortune there are ways for managers and employees to course-correct. 

Workers are down in the dumps about a lack of career growth opportunities and emptying offices as companies slash staffers to make way for AI, all while being put under constant pressure to do more with less.