Job Hugging

Job Hugging:
Why Fear Is Keeping People in Roles They Do Not Love

I just learned a new term, “job hugging.” I know I might be behind the times, but don’t judge.

So, this term is being used to describe people who are staying in their jobs right now not because they love them, but because the job market is, let’s face it, brutal.

And I totally get it. I have friends who are extremely qualified. They are so brilliant, they have strong resumes and are proven leaders in their field and are still looking for work a year later.

I remember a few years ago reading an article that started changing jobs every few years was the fastest way to increase your salary and career growth. And now, that advice has shifted because the market has shifted. So, people are staying. People are “job hugging”. But, they are staying in jobs they do not love.

Staying in roles where leadership doesn’t value them and they know they could easily be replaced because 100 other people want their job. They are staying because fear feels safer than uncertainty and the unknown.

But, that does NOT give leadership the right to treat employees like crap.

I have a friend whose company has been remote since COVID. Productivity went up, results improved, work got done. Their new leadership is now requiring everyone to come back into the office two days a week. But here is the kickers, they downsized their office space, so not everyone even has a desk.

And their teams are spread across the country so ALL of their meetings are still on Zoom! People are sitting alone in cubicles, not collaborating, simply proving their bodies are in a seat.

That’s not about teamwork. That’s about control.

Don’t get me wrong, there absolutely are roles, teams, and moments where being in-person matters. Hybrid work can be powerful. So can collaboration, connection, and face-to-face time.

But when remote work is clearly working for your people, and leadership knows employees are too afraid to speak up because they are job hugging, that crosses into something else. It becomes decision-making driven by power instead of performance.

Why default back to a rigid 9–5 simply because “that’s how it’s always been”? The traditional 9–5 workday was designed over a century ago for factory labor, built around industrial production, physical presence, and shift efficiency. It was never designed for knowledge work, creative work, or globally distributed teams.

Work has evolved. Technology has evolved. People’s lives have evolved. Leadership should evolve too.

And regardless of where someone works — at home, hybrid, or in-office — that does not give leadership the right to treat employees poorly, overload them, or ignore burnout simply because they know people are holding onto their jobs like they are white water rafting.

Respect, trust, and accountability should exist in every work model.

When leaders treat adults like adults, people show up, perform, and stay for the right reasons.

And if you are “job hugging” right now because of benefits you can’t afford to lose, health insurance for your family, age discrimination in hiring, burnout from job searching itself, or simply the emotional cost of starting over—please know I am not telling you to quit your job.

But if you are being given more work with no pay increase, spoken to disrespectfully, burned out and ignored, not being valued or treated as disposable because “you should just be grateful”…

Do not hug your job at the expense of your dignity.

Start paying attention. Start quietly exploring options. Start remembering your worth.

I am all about love and hugging, but not this type of hugging.

And for leaders reading this, this is exactly why organizations bring in outside voices. Many of the speakers we work with at VoiceQuest talk about: 
• Sustainable leadership
• Burnout and overload
• Managing humans, not just output
• Why fear-based management never works long-term

Because when the market shifts again, and it will, people will remember exactly how they were treated when they felt stuck. And that’s when they leave.

To learn more about working with VoiceQuest Agency and brining in a speaker for professional development day, leadership workshop or to motivate and inspire your team, learn more at voicequestagency.com