Why you might be 'quietly cracking' at work: UAE experts explain this dangerous burnout and how to fix it

You keep showing up, till you just can’t.

That’s the rather insidious case of ‘quiet cracking’.

You keep working, meeting deadlines, attending meetings—while inside, you're slowly falling apart. It’s distressing because no one fully sees it, sometimes not even the person going through it.

This ‘cracking’ showing up on a physiological level is rather common.  In another case, Dubai-based Deepankari (name changed on request), remembers how she would suddenly get a peculiar pain in her leg. There was no explanation. “We visited so many doctors, and no one could tell us, why my leg would suddenly cramp up to the point that it was difficult to walk in office. But, when I got home, it would be better.”

She went over her daily schedule: Going to work at 9, and returning at 9. Answering calls, emails, meeting deadlines. “Did I have to work from 9 to 9? No. But, I just did, because I just believed that the organisation ‘needed’ me, and that without me, things couldn’t be done.”

Cue, quiet cracking.

In the past few years, an entire plethora of work trends have persisted, ranging from quiet-quitting to window-sitting. And now, it’s quiet-cracking, a rather subtle form of burnout, or what had once been termed as ‘burn on’.

As Aida Suhaimi, Clinical Psychologist, Medcare Camali Clinic explains,  “It is marked by the subtle and progressive deterioration of an employee’s emotional and psychological wellbeing, all while their external performance remains largely intact.” So, you continue smiling, laughing with your colleagues, while working, yet slowly, burning out.

She compares it to quiet-quitting, where people consciously scale back their efforts to set boundaries and protect themselves from burnout. “Quiet cracking is more insidious. Employees continue to meet deadlines, show up to meetings, and fulfill core responsibilities. However, beneath this professional surface, there is a slow erosion of motivation, engagement, and personal meaning attached to their work,” she says.

The employee appears composed and competent, and for some even thriving, yet internally, they are slowly ‘cracking.’ This internal dissonance often goes unnoticed by colleagues and managers until a more severe mental health episode occurs.

How do you know when someone is just quietly withering away? Alia Taub, Chief Executive, Leadership Focus likens it to a plant, losing its vibrancy. "They may start to withdraw from team discussions, just as a flower might turn away from the sun. Increased absenteeism, lack of enthusiasm, or a drop in creativity are strong indicators," she says.

When the spark of passion dims, even the most skilled team can struggle to find its rhythm. When employees feel responsible for their work but lack the support to thrive, they may disengage, mirroring that wilting plant.

The signs are subtle and slight. Yet, we need to read between the lines. As Suhaimi explains, there is a sense of persistent internal dissatisfaction. The person reports feeling chronically unfulfilled or emotionally depleted, despite a success. They are not necessarily job hunting but possibly quietly suffering. Moreover, there is a reduced emotional expression. “They may become less enthusiastic, less socially engaged, or avoid deeper workplace conversations. Their tone may be flat or ‘checked out’,” she explains.

Furthermore, there is a sustained, but restrained performance. Unlike typical burnout, which leads to productivity loss, quiet cracking may feature continued high output, at the cost of increased internal distress.

Sarah Brooks, the Managing Director of FikrahHR, notes that attention needs to be paid to subtle, cumulative shifts. It starts with education, signs and symptoms.

Aditi Chaturvedi, a former Dubai expat, who has now moved back to India, recalls the days when she was ‘just chasing a light’ that seemed to get further, and further away. “I just wanted to be perfect at my job. And that’s what I was trying to be. I did everything right, and more, trying my best to become the best employee, and then I finally realised, at what cost? I didn’t have a life outside my work, and my health suffered because I was overeating,” she remembers.

This pursuit of perfection is just one aspect of the problem. As Suhaimi says, quiet cracking may be driven, in part, by high-functioning anxiety or high-functioning depression. “These are not official diagnostic terms but describe patterns seen clinically and increasingly in high-achieving professionals.” So, a person appears organised and competent, but experiencing tension, restlessness, panicking about failing. In other words, they feel emotionally blunted, joyless, or disconnected. “These conditions are often masked by productivity, making them harder to detect and leading to prolonged periods of emotional strain without intervention,” notes Suhaimi.

Rahaf Kobeissi, a mental health professional and expert and Founder of Rays Your Mental Health, adds, “You’ll notice the small shifts, less initiative, less spark, slower recovery from feedback. These are high-performing individuals who look ‘fine’ but feel emotionally heavy. They may stop sharing ideas, avoid deeper connections, or quietly disengage from the bigger picture.”

Unlike loud burnout, which may prompt intervention, quiet cracking can cost organisations dearly: high turnover, cultural fatigue, and the silent loss of talented people who felt invisible.

Think of it as a preventive health check-up, regular check-ins with employees can help identify issues before they escalate, explains Taub.

Unlike traditional burnout, quiet cracking allows employees to meet expectations while their wellbeing deteriorates, says Suhaimi. “Left unaddressed, it can cost businesses millions through lost productivity, rising turnover, absenteeism, and mental health claims.” Worse still, it erodes the workplace culture,  silently.

Brooks says that preventing quiet cracking starts with strategic, proactive HR leadership. " It demands systematic changes rather than the more traditional wellness and quick fix approaches. Creating genuinely inclusive environments where multicultural teams thrive without sacrificing cultural or emotional wellbeing is pivotal to organisations combating it," she says.

She outlines several key areas of focus:

·         Training managers to identify stress that shows up physically, especially in cultures where direct emotional disclosure is rare

·         Culturally sensitive detection tools and regular check-ins to spot quiet distress

·         Inclusive, psychologically safe policy frameworks that support whistleblowing, anti-bullying, and flexible work

·         Accessible mental health and wellness programs tailored to different cultural expectations

·         Most importantly, senior leadership must buy in — not just in principle, but in practice.

Preventing quiet cracking means building a workplace where all employees — across cultures, identities, and roles, feel safe, seen, and supported. That’s not a one-day campaign. It’s long-term business resilience.

From an academic perspective, it's clear that quiet cracking is both a personal and systemic issue, explains Dr Aseel A. Takshe, Acting Dean, School of Health Sciences and Psychology, Canadian University Dubai. While much research focuses on overt burnout, the erosion of purpose and connection is especially insidious because it can persist undetected in high-performing environments. "Academia itself can be a hotbed for quiet cracking, competitive climates and high expectations often mask early distress," she explains.

And so, it's crucial to normalise conversations about wellbeing and foster authenticity, both in research and in workplace practice. Listening deeply to both verbal and nonverbal cues, encouraging conversation about micro-boundaries, and wellbeing into institutional strategy are not just soft skills—they are core to organisational resilience and productivity. "Prevention relies on leaders and colleagues creating an environment where subtle struggles are noticed and support systems are active, ongoing, and genuinely empathetic," says Dr Takshe.

Sonal Chiber, a senior corporate communications consultant, at Mantra Care, a healthcare provider, echoes this. “The UAE has made commendable strides in prioritising mental health at the policy level—yet organisations must translate this into meaningful, everyday practices. This begins with normalising mental health conversations in the workplace. For instance, we encourage managers to go beyond KPI check-ins—to ask, “How are you really doing?”

She adds that digital wellness tool, like pulse surveys and anonymous feedback, are helpful, but only if leadership listens. Ask the real questions. Go beyond tasks and check in on people. Not just what they do—but how they’re doing.

As she says, preventing quiet cracking requires a well-being-first mindset—not just at HR level but across the leadership chain. In the UAE, where work-life integration is constantly evolving with remote and hybrid models, it’s vital to set clear expectations around working hours, availability, and digital boundaries.

The truth is, quiet cracking doesn’t happen overnight. It happens slowly, while we’re too busy being “fine” to stop and notice. That’s why emotional literacy at all levels of an organisation is non-negotiable.

As Kobeissi puts it, It’s time to look closer, not just at what employees produce, but what they carry. “Prevention lies in culture, not just check-ins. This is a loud invitation for all companies to make well-being part of the strategy and stop looking at it as a side-dish. When emotional fitness is embedded into how teams lead, decide, and relate—burnout stops being invisible.”

Quiet cracking is a reflection of our times, but it doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion. Taub adds from her own experience, "In my journey, I’ve learned that leaders must prioritise mental health and well-being, creating an environment where employees feel safe to express their concerns." She stresses the importance of resilience: It stretches, but doesn't break. "When employees are equipped with the right tools and support, they can bounce back from challenges. Embracing this mindset not only enhances individual well-being but also fosters a vibrant workplace culture," she says.

This article was first published in August, 2025.