Resource Center

In spite of its name, quiet constraint has been making big noises since it first hit the HR scene in fall 2022. In short, quiet constraint is the employee practice of holding onto information or knowledge rather than sharing it with coworkers. 

Hot on the heels of quiet quitting (the big HR trend of 2021), quiet constraint is the latest example of behavior whose seemingly calm surface masks employee dissatisfaction and disengagement. With its high potential for turbulence and disruption, it’s something that employers will want to understand and address sooner rather than later. 

At its most fundamental level, quiet constraint leads to reduced outcomes. It’s hard for teams, departments, and even organizations to achieve their best results if they aren’t working with the best resources. And if someone has innovative ideas, insights that others have overlooked, or some other unique contribution to the conversation—and then keeps that information in their pocket—their teams (and departments and organizations) don’t have all the resources they need to achieve optimal outcomes.

Quiet constraint is a type of lack of communication. In general, a lack of communication generally has a negative effect on a workplace. People feel out of the loop, misinformed, and undervalued when they know there’s information out there that they need but aren’t getting. It’s bad enough when employees think “management doesn’t tell us everything”—that’s not ideal, but at least people aren’t surprised by that trope. But when employees know (or believe) that their colleagues are holding out on them, that can accelerate the decline of an organization's culture.

Quiet constraint is a pretty new phenomenon and one that HR leaders are only beginning to study carefully. But even though these analyses are still in their infancy, a few shared understandings about the quiet constraint’s causes—and solutions—are emerging.

CAUSE: Employees want to use the withheld information for their own benefit. For example, they may want to use it in their own projects or reveal it at a later moment when they think it will have the most impact on their careers.

SOLUTION: Remind employees that when they engage in brainstorming and idea-sharing, everyone benefits. Today someone might have a great idea to share, and tomorrow that same person might be helped by a great one they hear from someone else. 

CAUSE: Employees actively don’t want to help their coworkers (and might even dislike them).

SOLUTION: Team building and other efforts to strengthen the company culture are key. When employees share trust, goals, and strong connections, they are more likely to want to help each other.

CAUSE: Employees don’t realize the need for the information they have. Not all quiet constraint is intentional. Sometimes employees feel disconnected from their workplace or colleagues (a feeling that can be exacerbated by remote or hybrid work arrangements that don’t have everyone in the office together) and just don’t know that their information is valuable to someone else.

SOLUTION: Here, too, team building is essential. Managing remote or hybrid teams presents its own unique challenges—in particular, to communication and inclusion—so leaders need to be mindful to treat offsite employees as full team members (and ensure that onsite workers do so as well).

CAUSE: Employees might lack the confidence to speak up and share their information, even if they think it might be helpful to others. Not all quiet constraint is malicious. Sometimes people feel talked over by their colleagues or managers or don’t think their ideas are “ready” for sharing.

SOLUTION: Skill building, mentoring, training, and other employee development efforts can help people feel more confident in their abilities. A bit of encouragement can also work wonders for drawing someone out of their shell and getting them to contribute more actively in meetings—and to advocate for themselves when others try to ignore them.

Will quiet constraint have as much of an impact on the workplace as quiet quitting? That remains to be seen. But rather than wait to see how things shake out, companies should work hard to nip this phenomenon in the bud now. Resolving the issues that underlie quiet constraint not only removes that problem but also strengthens the company culture generally and makes the workplace a more productive and engaging environment for everyone.