In an era of relentless layoffs, economic volatility, and eroded job security, a quiet survival strategy has gained momentum: “career cushioning”—secretly interviewing while still employed.
Is it disloyalty, or simply smart self-preservation?
On HRSpotlight, CEOs, founders, recruiters, and HR innovators offer candid, no-nonsense perspectives on this modern workplace reality.
They explore why high performers quietly update their LinkedIn and polish resumes long before giving notice, and what it reveals about trust, growth, and retention.
More importantly, they share battle-tested approaches leaders can take when they spot the signs—without resorting to surveillance, guilt trips, or denial.
From proactive career conversations and transparent growth paths to removing daily friction, recognizing contributions early, and building environments where people no longer feel the need to hedge, these experts show that the antidote to cushioning isn’t control—it’s connection, clarity, and genuine investment in people.
Discover how forward-thinking leaders are turning a symptom of insecurity into an opportunity for stronger loyalty and performance.
Read on!
Steven Lowell
Sr. Reverse Recruiter & Career Coach, Find My Profession
There is absolutely nothing wrong with “career cushioning”.
In fact, a 2022 survey showed that job seekers who were already employed were hired 45% faster than unemployed candidates.
It is necessary to continue searching in order to keep building your network, just in case of an unexpected layoff or market downturn.
If a leader notices that their best staff seem to have one foot out the door, there are 3 approaches to dealing with this:
– Say nothing and let things play out while learning from the actions the staff took up until they left.
– Sit the staff down and have a heart-to-heart about the possible reasons they decided to look around. The only reason I caution against this approach is because it might create anxiety or conflict for the staff, now that they know their boss is aware of their possible departure. Tiktok and Reddit have become hot zones for, “I can’t believe my boss!” stories.
– Make a gesture or series of gestures that shows the staff, “I want you to stay around for a while.”
Using an example from my career, at Find My Profession, I suggested hiring someone back in 2021 and I knew she was amazing. I knew she would leave sooner than later, if the job became boring. So, I suggested that she become my boss and I would step aside. The gesture, along with the new challenges, gave her reason to stick around for several years, as the company grew.
There are some who believe that staying in charge or growing a business requires tough, unyielding leadership.
However, making moves to take care of staff, in the name of growing the business, usually turns into a win-win situation.
Career Cushioning Is Smart Self-Preservation
Sreekrishnaa Srikanthan
Head of Growth, Finofo
I get why people do career cushioning, especially when jobs can feel unstable.
What worked for our team at Finofo was simple quarterly chats about where people’s heads were at.
It took a while, but folks got way more comfortable talking about what they actually wanted next.
Now when I see our best people looking around, I just talk to them. We thank them for their work here and get behind whatever they want to do next, instead of acting like a job search is a betrayal.
Open Chats Stop Secret Job Searches
Andrew Geranin
Head of Product, Resume
Career cushioning is not disloyal; it is a self-preservation behaviour in the face of market uncertainty, not an indication of dissatisfaction.
In the current turbulent world, intelligent professionals desire to remain prepared, and that should not be interpreted as disloyalty.
To leaders who see the best talent going adrift, it is not about guilt but about being clear and developing.
Conduct actual discussions on career pathing, skill building, and contribution.
When a person feels challenged, noticed, and is moving forward, they will hardly continue to search.
The exit behaviour generally begins much earlier than the updating of resumes.
Cushioning Signals Growth Gaps Early
It’s definitely something that happens frequently.
Ideally though, of course, you don’t want it to be happening in your business with your employees. You of course want them to stay because employee retention is so important.
So if you feel as though your best employees seem like they have a foot out the door, it could be wise to pull them aside and ask them for feedback.
Don’t be accusatory or make them feel like they are in trouble for what they are doing – approach it from an angle of wanting to make things better for them however you can.
Ask for Feedback, Don’t Accuse
Career cushioning feels more like a wake-up call to me than a threat.
I’ve found that keeping good people around just comes down to honest talks about where we’re actually going and what’s in it for them down the road.
In my one-on-one, I focus on what they want for themselves. When I connect their goals to our team’s targets, they stop just showing up and start pitching new ideas.
Honest Talks Align Goals and Keep Talent
Robert Pace
President, World Trade Logistics
My take on career cushioning is you can’t stop it and nor should you try.
People usually start quietly interviewing because something in their day-to-day life isn’t working, not because they’re disloyal or fickle.
As a leader, our job isn’t to police loyalty, it’s to fix the reasons that make people feel like they need a backup plan.
In my experience, the biggest retention wins come from simple, consistent habits: clearer expectations, removing daily friction points, and making sure top performers know they’re valued.
When people feel seen, supported, and actually growing, they stop looking over the fence.
Instead of policing career cushioning itself, we need to police issues that lead to it.
Fix Root Causes, Not the Cushioning
Frederic S
Co-Founder, RemoteCorgi
We’re hearing more about career cushioning these days and it has become a normal part of modern work, especially in remote-friendly industries.
People aren’t quietly interviewing because they’re disloyal – they’re doing it because the job market feels unstable.
Layoffs can happen with little warning, companies pivot quickly, and many employees have lived through at least one unexpected restructuring.
Cushioning is simply a way to feel prepared, the same way companies build runway or diversify revenue streams.
For leaders, the instinct is often to feel frustrated or betrayed. But in my experience at RemoteCorgi, career cushioning is usually a symptom, not the root problem.
When high performers start exploring outside opportunities, it’s typically because they’re sensing misalignment (ie: unclear expectations, limited growth paths, or a culture that’s shifted without explanation). Rarely is it about salary alone.
The best response isn’t to tighten control or monitor behavior. It’s to create an environment where people no longer feel the need to cushion in the first place. That starts with honest, regular conversations about career trajectory, skill development, and what meaningful work actually looks like for them.
Give employees transparency about company direction, invest in their growth, and make sure their contributions are clearly recognized.
When people feel valued, supported, and connected to the bigger mission, they’re far less likely to keep one foot out the door.
Career cushioning might be a modern reality, but strong leadership can make it unnecessary.
Build Trust to Make Cushioning Unnecessary
Skandashree Bali
CEO & Co-Founder, Pawland
Career cushioning is often a symptom, not the root problem.
From my experience leading a fast-growing pet care platform, I’ve learned that when high-performing employees quietly explore opportunities elsewhere, it rarely means they’re disloyal, it usually means they no longer see a growth path, purpose, or psychological safety where they currently are.
Employees don’t suddenly wake up wanting a new job; they wake up realizing they’re not valued where they are.
I think leaders must stop treating career cushioning as a “threat” and instead view it as emotional data. If great people are preparing for something better, we should ask ourselves: Why don’t they feel that “better” exists here?
My advice for leaders:
Offer clarity on growth, not just encouragement.
“You’re doing great” is not a growth plan. People need transparent pathways on what comes next.
Have real conversations before exit interviews.
Most founders only get honest feedback when someone resigns. Change that. Ask openly:
“Is this still the place where you see your future? If not, what would need to change?”
Reward contribution, not just loyalty.
Top performers want progress, not stagnation. Career development should be earned, not delayed.
Normalize ambition, don’t punish it.
If people fear that expressing ambition risks their reputation internally, they’ll explore it externally.
When leaders build a culture where people feel seen, challenged, and supported, career cushioning naturally decreases.
Retention is never about making people stay, it’s about making them want to stay.
Career Cushioning Signals Growth Gaps Early
When people on my franchise teams started looking elsewhere, it was usually because they felt stuck.
So we started talking openly about flexibility, like sabbaticals or temporary role changes. Suddenly, our best people would just tell us what they needed. That honesty saved us from losing a few key players.
When you sense someone is drifting, get curious instead of suspicious. You might actually find a way to keep them.
Open Conversations Turn Drift into Retention
The HR Spotlight team thanks these industry leaders for offering their expertise and experience and sharing these insights.
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