There’s something happening in workplaces right now that most of us avoid talking about – half of us are falling apart at work, but you’d never know it. We’re hitting deadlines, smiling in meetings, and maintaining solid performance, while quietly cracking under pressures we feel unable to discuss.
Our latest research from The Change Lab confirms this – 55 per cent of Australian workers are quietly cracking. We’re working hard to hold it together on the outside while hiding that we’re falling apart on the inside. So what’s driving this crisis?
A universal crisis
We found that two-thirds of quiet cracking is being caused by world events. Cost of living pressures lead the way at 41.7 per cent, followed by social division, climate change, and political unrest. The remaining third stems from workplace factors. Job security fears at 19.7 per cent, along with AI tool introduction and psychosocial hazards like poor change management.
The cruel irony is that the primary stressors – financial pressure and job uncertainty – often feel unspeakable at work.
Many workers calculate that admitting these struggles poses professional risks, while leaders tend to lack solutions for external economic forces. Given economists predict that cost of living pressures will continue for at least the next three years and workers who are quietly cracking are 6.2 times more likely to burn out, workplaces can’t afford to continue ignoring this hidden crisis any longer. We need to find ways to better support each other.
Young women face the perfect storm
Although quiet cracking is a universal workplace phenomenon, young women aged 18-24 are facing a particularly challenging situation. They’re quietly cracking at 78.7 per cent compared to 65.2 per cent for men the same age – the highest rate of any group in our study.
This isn’t just about external pressures, though economic challenges certainly hit this demographic hard as they try to establish careers while navigating housing unaffordability and job market volatility.
Our research revealed that young women also have the lowest levels of self-compassion in the study – particularly struggling with over-identification, where challenges feel like they’ll impact everything, always, and are entirely their fault.
They also showed the lowest scores on what we call HEART factors – our emotional and social capabilities for navigating change. Specifically, they struggled most with engaging purposefully, reaching out for help, and taking tiny steps forward. This combination of external economic pressures, systemic gender-based challenges, and fewer protective psychological resources helps explain why young women in this age group are experiencing quiet cracking at such high rates.
The protective factors that matter
While we can’t control external pressures, and systemic changes take time, building our HEART capabilities can provide a personal protective buffer. Our research found people with higher levels of these skills were 17 per cent less likely to quietly crack – they help us navigate the external world without having our internal world fall apart as easily.
You can build them by:
- Honor your feelings: Recognise difficult emotions as valuable information rather than problems to suppress. When you notice stress rising, pause and acknowledge: “This is hard, and it’s okay to feel unsettled.”
- Engage purposefully: When facing overwhelming pressures look for personal relevance by asking: “Why might this matter to me? What opportunities might this create that I haven’t considered yet?” Connect to purposes that energise rather than drain you.
- Appreciate your strengths: During times of uncertainty, identify what you do well and lean into those capabilities. Using your strengths builds confidence when external pressures make you question your competence.
- Reach out for help: When financial stress or other pressures feel too heavy to carry alone, use the ASC approach: Acknowledge what you need help with, Share why it matters to you, and Clarify the specific support you need. Make your requests clean and clear.
- Take tiny steps: Break overwhelming changes into manageable actions. Instead of tackling everything at once, ask: “What’s one small thing I can handle right now?” Progress matters more than perfection.
The research is clear: quiet cracking is widespread, but it’s not inevitable. While we push for systemic changes that address the root causes, these HEART capabilities offer genuine protection.
Start with whichever resonates most – even small steps can make a measurable difference when everything else feels overwhelming.