Employees are ‘loud working.’ Here’s what HR needs to know.

Blink and you might miss the next workplace buzzword…

In the wake of the pandemic, the tight labor market brought about “the Great Resignation.” But the labor market cooled, and we needed new ways to describe how workers were responding, so “quiet quitting,” “the Big Stay,” and “the Great Detachment” entered the chat.

Nowadays, amid layoffs, economic uncertainty, and AI transformation, some workers are “job hugging,” or deprioritizing career advancement in favor of job stability. Employees have also started “loud working,” Business Insider reported, promoting themselves at work in an effort to ensure visibility, recognition, and ultimately their jobs.

What’s going on? Many workers are loud working out of “fear of becoming obsolete, or FOBO,” Jennifer Moss, author and workplace strategist, told HR Brew. More than one-quarter (27%) of workers are worried their jobs will become obsolete because of technology, a recent Gallup report found; that percentage rises to 34% for workers between 18 and 44 years old.

“People are embarrassed to show that they’re using AI, because they don’t know what they’re supposed to be using AI for,” Moss said. “Either it’s going to tell people that they’re not working, or that AI could take over their job, or they feel embarrassed because it shows that they really aren’t skilled enough.”

What can HR do? Many of these post-pandemic workplace buzzwords reflect the state of employee engagement, Liz Andora, chief people officer at DHI Group, parent company of job-search websites Dice and ClearanceJobs, told HR Brew. While loud working may be another buzzword, she added that companies and HR leaders should pay attention to the stress that brought it about.

“There are a lot of shifts, and AI is unknown still. It’s not completely known how it’s going to impact corporations,” Andora said. “It feels like every week there’s a new study or new things coming out, and technology companies are changing.”

HR pros could respond to loud working, Andora said by providing more clarity around work. They can help managers and employees align projects and tasks with the mission of their organization. And they shouldn’t delay: HR pros should try to address it, she added, before it reaches the point where employees, in an attempt to make themselves appear indispensable, take credit for their colleagues’ work.

“If people are trying to put their best foot forward or sometimes take credit for others’ work, that’s both the leader’s and the employee’s responsibility to make sure there’s alignment and clear communication of what work needs to be done and making sure credit is given where it is due,” she said.

HR leaders can also lead the conversation around the future of work, as it relates to balancing AI adoption with human sustainability, Moss said. Companies that don’t recognize and prioritize people-focused strategies, Andora and Moss said, will face talent issues.

“We need to remind employers if you’ve made people hate coming to work…you are going to be in so much trouble trying to hold on to that talent and competing for that talent and attracting that talent back to your company,” Moss said. “You could become obsolete if you cannot compete for talent because you have been too short-sighted.”