About 70% of People Experiencing Workplace Hurt Show Decreased Performance; Third-Party Listening Effective for Recovery Regardless of Employment Type
A survey by Persol Tempstaff reveals that 'everyday hurts' like minor verbal slights cause a drop in motivation for ~70% of workers, leading to 'quiet quitting.' Empathic listening by third parties is key to recovery.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 23, 2026 at 20:11
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 01:45 (14h 13m after Collected)
Persol Tempstaff Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Kazunari Kimura; hereinafter 'Persol Tempstaff'), which handles staffing and outsourcing businesses within the comprehensive HR service Persol Group, conducted a survey targeting workers on 'the impact of "hurtful experiences" in the workplace on work, performance, and careers.'
This survey revealed that 'everyday hurts'—such as casual words, responses, or evaluation methods in the workplace that are not explicitly recognized as harassment—lead to decreased motivation for work and an intention to change jobs. On the other hand, it also found that listening and dialogue by a third party are effective in restoring performance.
■ Survey Background
April and May, the start of the new fiscal year, are generally considered times when workers easily feel physical and mental strain due to transfers, reassignments, and building new relationships.
In the temporary staffing market as well, this period is a milestone where assignments and job descriptions change due to contract expirations and increases in new employments. Starting in a new workplace or working in a different environment makes it easier for even trivial words and actions to accumulate as physical and mental burdens.
Given this background, this survey focused on the impact of hard-to-surface 'hurtful experiences' in the workplace on 'quiet quitting'—such as a drop in work motivation and performance—and career intentions.
■ Survey Results Summary
1. The most common hurtful experience in the workplace was 'way of speaking or conveying.'
The most frequent response for hurtful experiences in the workplace was 'hurt by the way things are said or conveyed' (60.8%), followed by 'sense of unfairness in how work is processed or roles are divided' (45.8%), 'uncomfortable team atmosphere or human relations' (42.7%), and 'felt that efforts and results were not fully recognized' (42.1%).
Although these are not explicit harassment, it indicates that they are 'invisible hurts' that become a mental burden as they accumulate daily.
2. Approximately 70% feel a decline in performance.
Among those who had hurtful experiences, about 70% answered that their 'motivation for work decreased.'
Furthermore, over 30% reported changes in behavior such as 'started doing only the bare minimum of work' and 'refrained from speaking up or making proposals.'
This suggests that people who have experienced hurt may experience a drop in engagement even when showing up for work, potentially leading to so-called 'quiet quitting.'
Also, the most common timing for feeling depressed was 'immediately after an interaction with a boss or colleague' (35.0%), followed by 'when a mistake or trouble occurred' (29.6%) and 'when the workload suddenly increased' (24.3%).
3. The reality is that it becomes a factor shaking the intention to continue working in the same environment.
Furthermore, when asked about the possibility of leaving the current workplace (including changing jobs or transferring) triggered by hurtful experiences, only 28.7% answered 'I want to consider changing jobs to another company,' while 22.1% said 'I want to continue at my current workplace,' 10.4% said 'I want to continue if my boss or department changes,' and 7.4% said 'I want to transfer within my current workplace.'
This reveals that even if it hasn't actually led to a job change, hurtful experiences in the workplace are a factor that shakes the intention to continue working in the same environment.
4. The key to recovery is the presence of a 'third party' and empathetic words.
When asked what kind of support is needed when hurt, the most common response was 'listening without denying my feelings' (37.0%), followed by 'organizing things after understanding the job content' (26.5%) and 'showing specific behavioral options' (18.7%).
Additionally, about 60% of respondents answered that having time or someone to organize their feelings and situation 'has meaning' ('Very meaningful' 23.0%, 'Somewhat meaningful' 44.9%). As for words that lighten feelings, many cited phrases that accept emotions without denial, such as 'That must have been hard,' 'You are doing a great job,' and 'You don't have to carry it all by yourself.'
Also, regarding the presence of someone who understands their feelings and position, while about 40% answered 'No one in particular,' among those who said they had such a person, 'Third parties such as family and friends' (34.0%) was the most common, followed by 'Colleagues' (21.8%) and 'Direct supervisors' (8.1%). It was found that people tend to consult third parties with whom they have an easy-to-talk-to relationship without conflicts of interest, rather than internal people (bosses, managers, colleagues, HR, etc.).
Notably, although the number of people who answered 'AI Chat' as an entity that understands their feelings and position is small at 8%, 14.1% of those in their 20s, 11.2% in their 30s, and 6.0% in their 40s gave this answer, showing that the younger the demographic, the higher the utilization rate of AI chat.
This survey revealed that 'everyday hurts'—such as casual words, responses, or evaluation methods in the workplace that are not explicitly recognized as harassment—lead to decreased motivation for work and an intention to change jobs. On the other hand, it also found that listening and dialogue by a third party are effective in restoring performance.
■ Survey Background
April and May, the start of the new fiscal year, are generally considered times when workers easily feel physical and mental strain due to transfers, reassignments, and building new relationships.
In the temporary staffing market as well, this period is a milestone where assignments and job descriptions change due to contract expirations and increases in new employments. Starting in a new workplace or working in a different environment makes it easier for even trivial words and actions to accumulate as physical and mental burdens.
Given this background, this survey focused on the impact of hard-to-surface 'hurtful experiences' in the workplace on 'quiet quitting'—such as a drop in work motivation and performance—and career intentions.
■ Survey Results Summary
1. The most common hurtful experience in the workplace was 'way of speaking or conveying.'
The most frequent response for hurtful experiences in the workplace was 'hurt by the way things are said or conveyed' (60.8%), followed by 'sense of unfairness in how work is processed or roles are divided' (45.8%), 'uncomfortable team atmosphere or human relations' (42.7%), and 'felt that efforts and results were not fully recognized' (42.1%).
Although these are not explicit harassment, it indicates that they are 'invisible hurts' that become a mental burden as they accumulate daily.
2. Approximately 70% feel a decline in performance.
Among those who had hurtful experiences, about 70% answered that their 'motivation for work decreased.'
Furthermore, over 30% reported changes in behavior such as 'started doing only the bare minimum of work' and 'refrained from speaking up or making proposals.'
This suggests that people who have experienced hurt may experience a drop in engagement even when showing up for work, potentially leading to so-called 'quiet quitting.'
Also, the most common timing for feeling depressed was 'immediately after an interaction with a boss or colleague' (35.0%), followed by 'when a mistake or trouble occurred' (29.6%) and 'when the workload suddenly increased' (24.3%).
3. The reality is that it becomes a factor shaking the intention to continue working in the same environment.
Furthermore, when asked about the possibility of leaving the current workplace (including changing jobs or transferring) triggered by hurtful experiences, only 28.7% answered 'I want to consider changing jobs to another company,' while 22.1% said 'I want to continue at my current workplace,' 10.4% said 'I want to continue if my boss or department changes,' and 7.4% said 'I want to transfer within my current workplace.'
This reveals that even if it hasn't actually led to a job change, hurtful experiences in the workplace are a factor that shakes the intention to continue working in the same environment.
4. The key to recovery is the presence of a 'third party' and empathetic words.
When asked what kind of support is needed when hurt, the most common response was 'listening without denying my feelings' (37.0%), followed by 'organizing things after understanding the job content' (26.5%) and 'showing specific behavioral options' (18.7%).
Additionally, about 60% of respondents answered that having time or someone to organize their feelings and situation 'has meaning' ('Very meaningful' 23.0%, 'Somewhat meaningful' 44.9%). As for words that lighten feelings, many cited phrases that accept emotions without denial, such as 'That must have been hard,' 'You are doing a great job,' and 'You don't have to carry it all by yourself.'
Also, regarding the presence of someone who understands their feelings and position, while about 40% answered 'No one in particular,' among those who said they had such a person, 'Third parties such as family and friends' (34.0%) was the most common, followed by 'Colleagues' (21.8%) and 'Direct supervisors' (8.1%). It was found that people tend to consult third parties with whom they have an easy-to-talk-to relationship without conflicts of interest, rather than internal people (bosses, managers, colleagues, HR, etc.).
Notably, although the number of people who answered 'AI Chat' as an entity that understands their feelings and position is small at 8%, 14.1% of those in their 20s, 11.2% in their 30s, and 6.0% in their 40s gave this answer, showing that the younger the demographic, the higher the utilization rate of AI chat.