‘Quiet Quitting’ Gives Way To ‘Job Cuffing’ As Winter Approaches

With winter just around the corner, the days are shorter, it’s cold and gloomy and people tend to isolate from the inclement weather. The practice of “cuffing” occurs in the dating scene in which couples cozy together during the cold months. A similar trend happens in the late fall with job hunting as well.

The “quiet quitting” trend is giving way to “job cuffing,” according to new data from Glassdoor, which reports a “huge spike” in job searches as workers scramble to secure new positions before winter, then a 16% dip in job searches between October and December before increasing to 28% from January to February before spring.

As the weather gets colder, the days get darker and the economic future is uncertain, people want certainty and comfort in as many ways as possible. One way is to stop job hopping and stay put in the jobs they’re in to keep them psychological cozy and secure. As the “quiet quitting” trend gives way to “job cuffing” season, Rick Hammell, CEO and founder of global human experience platform Atlas offers advice to companies scrambling to ensure the global talent they hired this autumn isn’t planning to break up with them come spring:

“Autumn is a time when seasons change and people start to hunker down and prepare for the winter. The same seasonal motivations that drive us to seek stability and comfort in our personal relationships, may drive job-seekers to secure stability in their profession and lock down a position for the coming months. While prospective employees are currently motivated about ‘cuffing’ their careers, this upswing in job-seeking may wane as winter approaches and the holiday rush takes hold—so employers should be quick to hire to keep up with demand. To avoid overwhelming HR with an influx of potential employees in Q4 (in addition to staying on top of tasks like payroll, end-of-year performance reviews and global holiday schedules), implementing an employer-of-record platform can help lighten the load without compliance risk, especially considering the global workforce. Once spring hits, employers should consider what they can offer to employees to avoid the ‘spring break(up)’—flexibility, work-life balance, opportunities to learn and develop professional skills and purpose-driven work.”

A new Owler’s Know-It-Owl Report also shows that thoughts of finding a new place of employment have simmered for the time being with employees cuffing for the winter. The report found 72% of employees are prepared to settle in with their current companies for at least a year, despite 57% of respondents rating their burnout level at medium or higher. The report signals that an uncertain economy is casting doubts on the workforce’s decision to find relief in a career elsewhere despite record stress levels.

“While the workplace has always been dynamic, the last two and half years saw seismic changes that have experts spinning their wheels to understand where the future of work is headed,” said Tim Harsch, CEO and co-founder of Owler. “The Know-It-Owl Report pulls from a diverse pool of working professionals revealing a critical glimpse into its current state. The findings make it clear that though labor churn has cooled, companies will need to focus more of their attention on relieving burnout to manage the productivity necessary to compete in today’s uncertain economy.”

Key findings from Owler’s Know-It-Owl Report include:

• Mental health is a low priority in managing burnout. When asked what avoiding burnout would look like, only 6% of respondents are considering therapy. Most (57%) considered taking time off as their best option and 25% said getting more sleep is how they avoid burnout.
• Flexibility in where employees work is the most sought out benefit. Nearly half of respondents would prefer the ability to work from anywhere as their top benefit. Only 17% chose unlimited paid time off, and 24% chose a four-day work week. As to the current workplace environment, 42% of professionals are already working in a hybrid environment, 34% entirely remote and 18% are in the office.
• Economic concerns meet the workplace. Companies are making some adjustments to their business operations in response to economic uncertainty with 47% of respondents admitting their company has taken cost cutting measures. Additionally, nearly two-thirds of respondents knew their company has instituted a hiring freeze, layoffs or both.
• Four-day work week considered possible. Nearly 59% of respondents thought it was possible to do their job in the span of four days, whereas 34% did not.

“The workforce doesn’t just walk away from the events of the past few years and go back to business as usual,” said Harsch. “In order to succeed in this economy, companies have an urgent employee burnout issue to address. While employees may not be leaving at the rate they did during the great resignation, burnout hurts the employee, company morale and overall productivity. Organizations need to carefully consider tools that reduce workloads and streamline company processes, and the right mix of employee benefits that best fits that company’s culture.”