What Does This Mean?
Lining up future job options while still employed, usually out of worry about layoffs: building skills, browsing listings, networking or applying elsewhere. Unlike quiet quitting it does not involve doing less work in the current job.
EXPLAINER
Sara Stilleke - Peak Performance · original source ↗
EXPLAINER
CBS News · original source ↗
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REAL-WORLD EXAMPLE
""Updating the resume every month is just career cushioning at this point.""
LORE & ORIGIN
Dictionary.com says the practice predates the term, which gained use at the end of 2022 and start of 2023, with the earliest cited example from late November 2022 and a Forbes article on January 19, 2023. Media linked it to recession fears and tech-industry layoffs. A common theory ties it to older dating slang, cushioning, meaning keeping backup partners.
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