Welcome to the eggshell economy

As economic uncertainty looms large, employees find themselves navigating a professional environment that feels increasingly fragile

WORKERS ARE BECOMING more cautious, careful and calculated as they navigate an “eggshell economy” where surviving is replacing thriving, stated a new survey from BambooHR.

That’s not to say workers are entirely unhappy ― 84 per cent said they have some satisfaction in their job ― but that the dominant mood is one of trying to navigate uncertainty.

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“Employees find themselves walking on eggshells in the workplace as they navigate a professional environment that feels increasingly fragile,” the report reads.

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The survey also suggested this mood of uncertainty is creating some unusual workplace behaviours. Workers are increasingly paranoid their contributions are going unnoticed, with 73 per cent going out of their way to “ensure their contributions are visible to their entire team.” This includes steps like maintaining detailed project logs, documenting idea ownership and copying senior leaders on important emails.

“Fear drives these behaviours,” said BambooHR’s Kelsey Tarp. “When people don’t know if they’re valued, they create barriers and silos.”

This way of thinking about employee welfare helps explain one of the paradoxes of the current labour market, where low satisfaction exists alongside low turnover (the latter being more expected in times of high satisfaction).

“Low turnover rates within your organization may be missing the bigger picture,” pointed out BambooHR’s Tara Martell. “The job market has been wonky at best. Very few open roles are out there, so competition is fierce. Many candidates also complain about exhaustive interview processes or poor communication.”

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It extends even to the watercooler, where employees are behaving in ways that are much less forthcoming, open and sociable. Fifty-one per cent of employees said they censor themselves at work more than ever. Everyone, it seems, is treading warily, sizing up their coworkers and trying to gain an edge.

“The modern employee isn’t just working,” said Martell. “They’re managing perception, guarding their roles and adapting to an environment where missteps feel more consequential.” Kieran Delamont