"Management is left blindsided, having mistaken high output for high engagement. What is the reality? The employee didn't feel engaged with the work or the organization; they felt invisible. This reveals a critical, modern threat to organizations. The most significant risk isn't the employee doing the bare minimum; instead, it is the high performer doing the maximum for the minimum reward. This costly phenomenon is popularly becoming known as ghost growth."
"Ghost growth is the silent, unrewarded development of your talent. They aren't quitting. They're growing- taking initiative, learning new skills, absorbing departed colleagues' responsibilities, and mastering new technology and systems. Ghost growth is invisible to the organization. It's unrecognized. It's unacknowledged. It's when we ask for innovation and grit, but then the employee's title doesn't change, and their pay doesn't budge."
Ghost growth occurs when employees expand skills, take on extra responsibilities, and deliver high value without commensurate pay, title changes, or authority. High performers can feel invisible despite high output, which leads to disengagement and eventual departure. Unrecognized development silently undermines workplace engagement and accelerates burnout among top talent. Addressing ghost growth requires leaders and organizations to make invisible work visible, acknowledge contributions, and reward value. Solutions do not demand large budgets but require agility, systemic flexibility, and cultural changes that align recognition, promotion, and compensation with actual work performed.
Read at Psychology Today
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