Career Cushioning: What HR Needs to Know About This Growing Workplace Trend
As we discussed in 24 HR Buzzwords to Know in 2025, at least two dozen new catchphrases are defining the modern workplace, but few hit as close to home for HR as career cushioning. While it may sound like a harmless or even responsible strategy for employees, it signals something deeper about workforce sentiment, and it’s something HR teams can’t afford to ignore.
What Is Career Cushioning?
Career cushioning is the practice of employees preparing for a potential job loss by quietly searching for new roles, updating their resumes, networking, or even upskilling behind the scenes, just in case. It’s essentially a professional “Plan B.”
Much like relationship cushioning, keeping options open in case the current situation doesn’t work out. Career cushioning reflects a growing sense of uncertainty. Employees may not be actively looking to leave, but they’re taking steps to ensure they’re not left vulnerable if their role becomes unstable, the culture shifts, or the company undergoes restructuring.
This behavior is especially common during times of economic uncertainty, high-profile layoffs, or internal organizational change. But it also arises when employees feel disengaged, underappreciated, or unsupported in their growth.
Why Career Cushioning Should Be on HR’s Radar
On the surface, career cushioning might seem like a neutral or even responsible act. It doesn’t mean someone will leave, only that they’re being prepared. It often signals a deeper disengagement or lack of trust in the employer, though.
When a significant portion of your workforce is “cushioning,” several risks emerge:
- Decreased engagement: Employees investing their energy elsewhere may not be fully present at work.
- Quiet quitting: A rise in career cushioning can coincide with minimal-effort performance or a drop in discretionary effort.
- Surprise turnover: Cushioning often turns into active job-hunting, and if HR isn’t in tune, resignations can feel sudden and unmanageable.
- Lost productivity and morale: When cushioning spreads, teams become more siloed, collaborative energy dips, and workplace culture suffers.
Understanding the drivers behind cushioning can help HR leaders address the root causes and develop a healthier, more transparent employee experience.
Common Reasons Employees’ Career Cushion
Some of the most frequent reasons employees begin career cushioning include:
- Lack of clear growth or promotion pathways
- Fear of layoffs or restructuring
- Poor communication from leadership
- Limited upskilling opportunities
- Feeling undervalued or underpaid
- Burnout and poor work-life balance
- A toxic or declining team culture
These are all within HR’s sphere of influence, making career cushioning a key signal, not a threat.
What HR Teams Can Do About It
Rather than viewing career cushioning as disloyal, HR leaders can treat it as a pulse check on employee confidence and commitment. Here’s what you can do:
1. Improve Internal Communication and Transparency
Uncertainty breeds fear, and fear leads to career cushioning. HR can support leaders in communicating clearly about business direction, organizational changes, and job security. Proactive updates, Q&A sessions, and transparent decision-making all build trust.
2. Invest in Career Development
One of the best antidotes to cushioning is showing employees that their future can grow within your organization. Offer learning and development programs, career pathing tools, mentorships, and internal mobility programs. Employees who see opportunity are less likely to look elsewhere.
3. Foster a Culture of Feedback
Create safe spaces for employees to express concerns, give feedback, and ask about their futures. When employees feel heard, they’re less likely to quietly disengage.
4. Conduct Stay Interviews
Exit interviews come too late. Stay interviews can help you uncover why employees might be looking elsewhere before they go. Ask about satisfaction, goals, frustrations, and what would make them stay long-term.
5. Recognize and Reward Contributions
Lack of recognition is one of the top drivers of disengagement. Celebrate wins, acknowledge effort, and tie individual work to company goals. When people feel seen and appreciated, their sense of belonging increases.
6. Create Pathways for Honest Conversation
Sometimes, employees will consider external opportunities. HR can create policies and environments where these conversations aren’t taboo. For example, offering “career check-in” conversations or boomerang pathways (for those who may leave and return) can reduce the stigma and increase loyalty.
Career cushioning isn’t a trend to panic over; it’s a signal. It tells HR leaders that employees are feeling insecure, undervalued, or unsure about their future. Rather than focusing on how to prevent cushioning, focus on what it’s telling you about your employee experience.
In the end, the best way to reduce the need for cushioning is to build a workplace where employees feel secure, supported, and inspired to grow, right where they are. And that’s where HR can make the biggest impact.