23rd February 2026
How HR Can Tackle Hidden Disengagement
As uncertainty rises in 2026, disengagement is increasingly hidden through behaviours like leavism, job hugging and quiet cracking. This article outlines how HR can respond with empathy, transparency and targeted support. By listening closely, supporting managers and investing creatively in development and wellbeing, organisations can rebuild engagement even with constrained budgets.
This article was written by Emma O’Connor and published in People Management.
As unemployment figures rise in the UK, mass layoffs dominate news and AI drives job displacement, 2026 is set to be an uncertain time for employees. ‘Leavism’, ‘job hugging’ and ‘quiet cracking’ are just a few of the trends defining our current workplace, ultimately meaning unhappy employees are now staying in-role when they otherwise would have left. This is often compounded by a lack of psychological safety and trust among employees in management.
Where does this leave HR in terms of managing potentially disengaged employees? What’s the impact on productivity, performance and culture and how can this be managed with tighter budgets for engagement programmes and wellbeing initiatives?
Getting out of survival mode
Many behaviours displayed in uncertain times manifest because employees are stuck in ‘survival mode’. Job hugging, for example, involves employees clinging on to their jobs as a result of job insecurity and a weakened job market rather than moving on, while leavism is the unhealthy practice of using allocated time off (such as annual leave) to work instead of resting.
The question therefore becomes how to support employees into a position where they feel they are more confident and optimistic about their positions, are resourced to navigate the uncertainty and, should there be a situation where redundancies become inevitable, feel they have the resilience to move forward.
You can re-energise a sense of motivation and growth by creating meaningful opportunities for development even with budget constraints, such as offering project rotations, mentorship programmes and cross-function networking opportunities. These help employees build new skills and relationships internally.
Invest in upskilling and future proofing roles by providing clear learning pathways that address concerns around AI and automation to enable colleagues to adapt to shifting workplace needs, remain relevant and regain confidence in their long-term career prospects.
Stay close to employee sentiment
Higher retention rates don’t correlate to higher employee engagement. Behaviours such as leavism and job hugging are a result of fear and job insecurity. By running employee engagement surveys, HR can get closer to key issues impacting employee motivation as well as drill down into key employee communities to identify further trends. For example, if you identify that certain teams are particularly affected, are there strategies you can develop to engage them more effectively?
Listening and consulting with employees as to what they actually want can go a long way in difficult times; for example, they might prefer training on financial wellbeing or stress management support rather than an expensive strategy away day.
Communicate transparently and openly
Prioritise a culture of open communication. Keeping employees up to date on your company performance while engaging them in changes to organisational strategy gives your people a greater sense of control and ownership of your business’s future. This in turn will support morale and engagement, as well as productivity, to shift colleagues out of the stagnancy that can come with job hugging behaviours.
Workplace policies should be effectively communicated, including those around health and safety and sickness absence, to minimise leavism. Companies are seeing a rise in ‘holiday hoarding’ where employees haven’t taken their full holiday allowance to delay taking it, carry it over or avoid taking the time off altogether – again to feel safer in their role. Actively communicating holiday policies, having clear rules around holiday booking and encouraging managers to monitor when holiday is (or is not) being taken is vital to employee wellbeing.
Read this article in full here: How to manage disengaged employees
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