Is "Job Hugging" Hindering Your Potential?

It feels good to get comfortable at work. Instead of stressing 24/7, like you might do at a new job, you eventually fall into a cozy groove — and it’s easy to sit there for years. It’s something many people do on purpose, especially if they’re anti-hustle culture, but staying in the same place for too long can also be a symptom of “job hugging.”

Job hugging is when you cling to a position not out of loyalty or love for your work, but because you’re too afraid to move up or move on. According to Sam DeMasse, a career expert at ZipRecruiter, someone who is “job hugging” might feel underpaid, undervalued, or unhappy in their role, and yet they stay anyway because the thought of job hunting sounds awful and unpredictable.

“It's similar to the phenomenon of staying in a subpar relationship because you are afraid of getting back into a dating pool that's really intimidating,” DeMasse tells Bustle. Of course, the current job market also plays a role. “The job search is lengthy right now,” she says. “It's taking six-plus months to land something, and that intimidates a lot of people and makes them want to lean into the hugging, the cozy, the stability.” Here’s what to know.

Job Hugging Makes Sense

According to a 2025 ZipRecruiter Employer Report, turnover rates have dropped 72% since 2023, which means more workers are staying put. In times of job market friction, it makes sense that no one would want to take a risk by leaving a stable job. “The answer isn't always to hustle and find the next thing,” DeMasse says. “If a job feels like a hug, embrace it like a mug of hot cocoa.”

Job hugging means staying in a stable, predictable position. It may lower your stress levels, give you more energy for side projects, and it allows you to prioritize other others of life, like your hobbies. That said, it also has quite a few downsides. If you want to leave your job, but are too scared to re-enter the job hunt market, you may start to feel stuck.

According to DeMasse, someone who is job hugging may feel bored, stuck, or stagnant, as opposed to excited, inspired, or challenged in all the right ways. If you wake up dreading the day, take it as a sign. DeMasse also points to burnout, wage stagnation, and lack of skill growth as other side effects to watch out for.

“In these current moments, employers expect you to do more with less.”

Unfortunately, many employers also fail to promote employees who stick around long-term, instead choosing to pile more work on their plate, as well as projects that go beyond their job description, according to ZipRecruiter. Before you know it, you’re doing the work of five people while still stuck at your original salary.

“In these current moments, employers expect you to do more with less because they're aware that the job market is really difficult and intimidating as a job seeker,” DeMasse says. “It’s why the onus is on the employee to set workload boundaries and to advocate for a promotion when your scope starts to creep.”

How To Make The Most Of Job Hugging

If you aren’t going to seek out a higher-paying position — and it’s totally understand why you wouldn’t want to — then you might consider asking for a raise as a way to make the most of what you have. “As soon as you notice you're spending 30 percent or more of your time on responsibilities that are not in your job description, it's time to start building a ‘business case’ for your promotion and raise,” she says.

A “business case,” which is essentially a brag sheet full of your achievements, is something you can present to your boss when asking for a raise. “Go back to your job description and look at your responsibilities and write down all of the goals that you hit and projects that you led,” she says.

Then, add all the ways you’ve worked beyond the scope of your job description. And finally, ask for feedback from your coworkers, leaders, and clients. “Anytime someone sent you a compliment over Slack, or email, or Teams, log all of that together,” she says.

According to DeMasse, employers respond well to business cases that show your impact on the company and how your work has moved the needle, versus asking for a raise for personal reasons. “The ball is still in your court as an employee to advocate for yourself and make it happen,” she says. To go back to the relationship analogy, it’s a lot like advocating for your needs with a partner.

How To Finally Move On

If you’ve realized you’re job hugging, you can stay put in your position until the market changes, or put a few feelers out and take stock of your options. In fact, DeMasse says job huggers are in the perfect position to start a job search: you’re comfortable, you have plenty of untapped brain power, and you can use it to begin dreaming about what’s next.

As you bide your time in your current role, you can start to analyze your three biggest strengths. “Know what makes you tick and what differentiates you,” she says. “It's like knowing your astrological sign — it boosts your confidence and it helps you understand where you're coming from and what you bring to the table.”

From there, why not start “warming up” your network? That means reaching out to people in your ideal industry to say something like, “Hey, I have my job, but I’m looking for this sort of opportunity and am gathering information. Here’s my updated resume with my core strengths.” It will feel good to get a few leads.

If you do decide to be bold and take a leap, DeMasse says the best time to put in a job application is on Sunday or Monday. “Most jobs get posted at the beginning of the week,” she says. “In today's market, you need to be one of the first to apply if you want to get seen.” Who knows? You might end up somewhere totally unexpected.

Source:

Sam DeMasse, career expert at ZipRecruiter