Copyright Anchorage Daily News
“Welcome to Job Huggers Anonymous,” chirps the facilitator, clutching her clipboard like it contains the secret to joy. “We’re here because we can’t stop holding jobs that no longer love us back. Let’s start with introductions.” Lila leans forward as if she planned to leak state secrets. “I hate my job so much I fantasize about being fired. Not brutally fired — just gently escorted out with a box and some dignity.” “I’m Pete.” The man’s T-shirt once had a logo; now it’s just ambition washed out of cotton. He exhales hard enough to make the fern tremble. “I keep telling myself I’m staying for the pension. But at this point, I think the pension’s staying for me.” Then a woman in a wrinkled blazer slumps forward. “I’m Ellen. Eight years since I updated my résumé. My boss calls me ‘reliable’; that’s HR for ‘too tired to quit.’” The group nods in weary communion. Their mantra rolls out in unison: One day at a time. One pointless staff meeting at a time. The room’s imaginary, but the epidemic’s real. Job huggers — employees clinging to roles long past their expiration date — lurk in cubicles in many workplaces. According to Monster’s 2025 Job Hugging Report, 48% of surveyed employees say they stay in their current role for comfort, security or stability. For these employees, job hugging is the workplace version of comfort food: familiar, filling and guaranteed to leave you sluggish. They don’t love their jobs but don’t see anything better on the horizon. They stay because the devil they know offers dental coverage, even though the spark that once made them excited about their jobs wheezes for oxygen. Behind many “grateful to have a job” smiles sits quiet dread. Sunday nights hit like sentencing hearings. Job huggers run mental marathons of justification: Maybe my boss will retire. Maybe next quarter will improve. Maybe leadership will finally hire that extra person they promised back when TikTok was new. Spoiler: They won’t. The truth: Job huggers don’t cling to jobs; they cling to security, identity and even social connection. Letting go of a problem job before an employee finds a new landing spot feels like jumping from a plane without a functioning parachute. What employers need to know Job hugging isn’t just an employee issue. When a once-bright performer morphs into a chair-shaped life form, productivity nosedives. Caffeine and sighing can’t replace engagement. Smart employers treat job huggers as early warning sensors. When employees stop growing, it’s often because: Employees don’t see a future — but can see a flabby job market. Recognition trails behind workload like an unpaid intern. Management drifted off somewhere between “budget cuts” and “we’ll circle back.” If your employees feel like they’re surviving a job instead of living a career, your culture isn’t stable — it’s stagnant, and the cure isn’t motivational posters or forced karaoke. Ask yourself: What can you offer that makes your employees want to re-engage? People rarely stop striving when they feel challenged, trusted and valued. What job huggers need to hear If you spotted yourself in that support group, no one’s telling you to torch your career. Just loosen your grip before the job suffocates both of you. Ask yourself: Would I hire myself for this job today? Am I staying in my position because it fits — or because fear does? What would I chase if I trusted my skills could land somewhere else? Even if you’re not ready to leap, move an inch. Update your résumé — not to quit, but to remember your own story. Ask your manager for stretch work. Find a mentor who tells you the truth instead of handing you a mug that says “Team Player.” The act of looking outward can rekindle something inward. You stand taller when you remember you could walk. The final confession At the end of every Job Huggers Anonymous meeting, the facilitator leads the closing affirmation: “We celebrate the jobs we stay in after we’ve left.” Everyone claps politely, gathers their coats and trudges back to the same jobs tomorrow — but maybe not forever. If you’re at that meeting, you don’t have to quit today, without a viable job on the horizon. You do have to shake off inertia. Sometimes the healthiest way to hold on to yourself is to finally let go of what no longer fits.
