Why ‘career cushioning’ is booming
Executive Take
Employees now treat job security as something they must build themselves, not something employers provide. If your people are quietly preparing exits, perks won't fix it, only real trust and transparency about AI's impact on roles will.
Executive Summary
Career coaches and HR leaders describe "career cushioning," where employees quietly build skills, certifications, side income and networks while staying employed. Drivers cited include AI-driven skill decay (WEF estimates a four-year skill half-life, two years in digital roles), layoffs during strong earnings, and broken trust after repeated restructurings.
Why It Matters
HR leaders should read this as an early warning system: quiet skill-building and networking often precede resignations by months. It also signals employees don't trust how companies communicate AI-driven role changes.
Bizquad Perspective
Most leaders treat career cushioning as an employee loyalty problem when it's actually a direct measure of how badly their company has communicated its AI transition plans.