First it was the Great Resignation. Then it was quiet quitting. Now, a new cutesy workplace term has entered the ring: career cushioning. And yes, just like its predecessors, it’s describing a concept that’s anything but new.
Amid a looming recession, ongoing misalignments between workers and bosses, and widespread lack of excitement about work and its place in people’s lives, career cushioning is, simply put, the move to start lining up a new gig while still working at your current one. It’s not unlike “cushioning” in dating culture, when one keeps their romantic options open to soften the blow should their current relationship—or situationship—end.
