Americans are becoming increasingly unhappy at work. BambooHR’s recent report benchmarking employee happiness revealed that job satisfaction has declined at a rate 10 times faster than in the previous three years. Separately, Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report found that most of the world's employees are quiet quitting, exhibiting record-high stress levels, and more than half of employees are actively or passively job-seeking.

The convergence of financial turbulence, outdated management expectations and a lack of flexibility at work all contribute to declining employee satisfaction. The pandemic gave way to a reimagining of new possibilities for workers. As companies wrestle to adapt, it spotlights larger fundamental issues that have been present all along.