Why people fall out of love with work

Valentine’s Day was last week. The flowers are on their way out, the chocolates are long gone and LinkedIn has settled down after its annual burst of heart emojis and “we love our people” posts. But while the world moves on from romance for another year, there’s another relationship that deserves attention: the one between people and their work.

Because people do fall in love with their jobs. And they absolutely fall out of love with them too.

It rarely happens overnight. It’s slower than that. Quieter. A gradual shift from energy to indifference, from curiosity to clock-watching. And more often than not, your employer brand has played a part in both the beginning and the end.

It started with a promise

In the early days, everything feels full of potential. The job ad was compelling. The careers site told a confident story. The interviews felt energising and aligned. There was clarity about purpose and progression. It all added up to something that felt exciting.

That first impression matters. But what matters more is what happens next.

When the lived experience doesn’t match the marketed message, people notice. If your EVP is bold externally but confusing internally, you create friction. If you talk about collaboration but operate in silos, or champion flexibility but reward presenteeism, the disconnect builds quietly.

Employer branding isn’t just there to attract talent; it sets expectations. And when expectations aren’t met, disappointment sets in. Alignment builds trust. Misalignment erodes it.

When purpose fades, so does commitment

Most people don’t expect work to be perfect. But they do want it to mean something.

When roles become a string of tasks with no visible impact, motivation drops. When individuals can’t see how their effort connects to a bigger picture, work starts to feel transactional. And transactional relationships don’t tend to last.

A strong employer brand should continuously reinforce the “why”. It should help people understand how their role contributes to something meaningful, how success is defined and how they can grow within it. Purpose isn’t a slogan; it’s clarity in action.

The relationship between employer and employee has shifted. People still want security, but they also want belonging and direction. If your brand doesn’t articulate that clearly, someone else’s will.

Silence is rarely golden

One of the biggest reasons people fall out of love with work is not dramatic conflict but quiet disengagement.

When feedback only appears once a year. When recognition is sporadic. When leaders communicate in broad statements rather than honest conversations. Small gaps accumulate.

Employer branding isn’t just external campaigns and polished decks. It’s the internal narrative that runs every day. It’s how wins are celebrated, how challenges are explained and how transparent leadership feels. As our tone of voice guide reminds us, we should sound human, warm and assured rather than distant or overly polished . Culture works the same way. If it doesn’t feel real, it won’t feel trustworthy.

People rarely leave because of one moment. They leave because the emotional connection has weakened over time.

Growth shouldn’t feel like a dead end

In the first year of a role, learning is constant. There’s energy in figuring things out, building relationships and stretching capabilities. But if that growth plateaus and nothing replaces it, stagnation creeps in.

When someone can’t see their future in your organisation, they’ll start imagining it elsewhere. That doesn’t always mean promotions or new titles. It can mean exposure to new challenges, skill development, mentorship or cross-functional work. What matters is visibility. People need to see that staying doesn’t mean standing still.

If your employer brand talks confidently about development and progression, your internal experience has to support it. Otherwise, those words lose weight quickly.

Values are tested under pressure

It’s easy to celebrate culture when results are strong and budgets are healthy. It’s much harder when decisions become uncomfortable.

Yet those moments are when your employer brand is most visible. If you claim to be transparent, inclusive or supportive, people will look for evidence of that when times are tough. Consistency builds loyalty. Inconsistency breeds doubt.

A credible employer brand isn’t aggressive or boastful. It’s steady. It shows up the same way in calm and in crisis. And it accepts that honesty builds more trust than perfection ever could.

Keeping the spark alive

If you want to prevent people from quietly falling out of love with work, start by asking honest questions.

Does our internal reality match our external promise?

Do our people understand why their work matters?

Are we communicating consistently and clearly?

Is growth visible and accessible?

Do our values hold up when they’re tested?

Employer branding isn’t a one-off campaign timed around recruitment peaks or awareness days. It’s an ongoing relationship that needs attention. You can’t post a heartfelt message once a year and assume everything else will take care of itself.

We spend a significant portion of our lives at work. When people feel aligned, valued and understood, they don’t just stay longer; they perform better, advocate louder and contribute more fully. That’s when employer branding stops being a marketing function and becomes a lived experience.

Valentine’s Day may be behind us, but the real work of maintaining commitment starts now. If you’re wondering whether your employer brand is nurturing long-term loyalty or quietly allowing disengagement to creep in, it might be time for an honest conversation.

We’ll happily have it with you. Cake optional. Candour essential.