When I first spoke to Forbes for their article “Why ‘Quiet Constraint’ Is Trending and Raising Workplace Concerns,” I described how employees withdrawing from knowledge-sharing is often a sign of something deeper: a crack in culture, not a lack of care.
The more I’ve reflected on this, the clearer it’s become that burnout, digital overload, and fragmented systems are compounding the challenge. I wanted to expand on that and explore how we can start fixing it by rethinking how culture and connection live digitally.
Understanding the ‘Quiet Constraint’ trend: A new kind of workplace silence
The Forbes article on “quiet constraint” put words to something many leaders have felt but struggled to name: a quietness that isn’t laziness, but exhaustion.
Unlike “quiet quitting,” which reflects a conscious choice to disengage, quiet constraint is what happens when employees simply don’t have the capacity - mental, emotional, or digital - to share what they know. They’re overwhelmed, overstretched, and over-tooled.
And it’s costing organizations more than productivity. It’s quietly eroding the trust, connection, and culture that businesses depend on.
When culture cracks under pressure
At Unily, we see “quiet constraint” as a symptom of deeper, intersecting issues shaping the modern workplace:
1. Dwindling engagement and connection to purpose
Years of disruption and constant change have left employees questioning where they fit and why their work matters. According to Gallup’s latest data, employee engagement has sunk to a 10-year low. In an era characterized by constant disruption, many employees are left feeling disorientated and disconnected to overall vision and strategy. When culture feels distant, people stop speaking up.
2. Burnout and information overload
Employees are navigating endless messages, channels, and tools. Every ping demands attention, but few create real connection. Research by Unily revealed that one in three workers are distracted by a digital disruption every 15 minutes or less. The brainpower left for knowledge-sharing is limited as employees waste time fighting a barrage of notifications.
3. Outdated digital workplaces
Many organizations have not yet reimagined how their digital environments can enable human connection. When it’s hard to find information, connect with internal experts, or share knowledge easily, people retreat into their own silos.
On top of that, rapid digital transformation has led to app sprawl, leaving employees to navigate a convoluted web of systems and tools to get work done. Unily research revealed that 59% of workers report that digital tools are adding to their workplace stress.
Together, these forces create what I call digital fatigue: a state where people are online but disconnected, logged in but left out.
Distracted every 15 minutes. The impact of digital noise in the workplace.
The invisible cost of disconnection
In the Forbes piece, I shared that when people stop sharing ideas, it’s rarely about motivation - it’s about trust, connection, and clarity of purpose. But it’s also about how the workplace itself enables or blocks those things.
If our digital ecosystems make collaboration feel like hard work, if our tools multiply friction instead of reducing it, then even the most engaged employee will eventually run out of energy to contribute.
That’s how “quiet constraint” spreads: not through rebellion, but through exhaustion.
Building cultures that flow digitally
The antidote to quiet constraint isn’t another campaign or productivity tool. It’s building culture digitally, with spaces that are as inclusive and connected as the physical ones we once relied on.
That means creating digital workplaces where:
- Information flows freely: People can easily find what they need and share what they know.
- Expertise connects seamlessly: Employees can identify and collaborate with the right colleagues, wherever they are.
- Culture lives visibly: Values, stories, recognition, and purpose aren’t trapped in office walls, but reflected in every digital interaction.
At Unily, this is the foundation of our mission: To help organizations connect their people, their knowledge, and their culture in one intelligent digital experience.
Disconnected and disengaged: The economic cost of frontline friction
Turning quiet constraint into connected contribution
“Quiet constraint” is a warning signal, but also an opportunity. It reminds leaders that engagement doesn’t just live in hearts and minds; it lives in the systems we build, the spaces we communicate through, and the clarity we give our people.
When we design digital workplaces that reduce noise, remove friction, and rebuild connection, we make it easy and energizing for people to share their best ideas.
Because when knowledge flows, culture follows. And when culture thrives, performance does too.
Let's chat. See how Unily fixes culture gaps.
This article expands on commentary from a recent Forbes article, “Why ‘Quiet Constraint’ Is Trending and Raising Workplace Concerns”, featuring commentary from Unily’s Chief People Officer, Jenny Shiers.
