It’s the working man’s version of hibernation.

Rather than searching for better or more lucrative job opportunities, burnt-out Americans are hunkering down this winter and milking the benefits of their current jobs in a trend playfully dubbed “job cuffing.”

“Job cuffing is hunkering down in a job that you don’t love just for the winter,” said John Mullinix, head of growth marketing at Ladders, told Fox Business.

“The term is a play on ‘relationship cuffing,’ when someone gets into a relationship just for the cold months — to have someone to attend holiday parties with and get cozy with when it’s freezing outside. They don’t want to stay with their partner long term.”

Essentially, workers are choosing to “love the one they’re with” until the warmer, more exciting months come around, said Mullinix.

There are a multitude of reasons employees opt to stay in their current positions rather than seek jobs they are more drawn to during the busiest time of the year: inflation, rising interest rates and other economic risks are just a few to name.

According to Mullinix, hiring typically decreases during the holiday season.

“Employees are becoming less confident about finding new jobs, as many companies, particularly in the tech and media sectors, are reducing their workforce or slowing down hiring,” he said.

Never mind that recent studies show a majority of Americans experience worsening sleep during the winter months, some experts point out that companies offer incentives for employees to stick around through the winter.

Joe Galvin, chief research officer with Vistage Worldwide, which handles professional training and coaching, noted that many workers take advantage of end-of-year bonuses and holiday paid time off before resuming their job search in the spring.

“The rationale behind job cuffing is grounded in the hope that waiting out the winter period will yield a more flourishing job market in the spring,” the Connecticut-based Galvin told FOX Business. 

“It’s a decision largely driven by the prospect of better opportunities and a more conducive environment for career growth.”

In the face of the storm of unoptimistic factors, “job cuffing” offers workers the chance to focus on their personal lives during the holiday season and on their work-life balance.

One such employee told the outlet she is hanging around her job because it’s saving her the time and energy of finding a new job.

“I work remotely, so I don’t need to drive to work and I don’t have car and gas expenses,” said Jamie, a woman in her mid-40s who performs data entry work for an HR-related company.

“Another reason to cuff now is that I don’t want to go through training for a new job — and a lot of companies I see that are hiring don’t pay as much.”

Jamie, who declined to provide her last name, called her current job “boring and repetitive,” but said it offers “a good salary with benefits.”

“When spring arrives, I may look for something new that is more aligned with my professional education and experience,” she said.

In the face of interest rate hikes and inflation, the US job market has remained on firm footing.

Employers added 204,000 jobs a month from August through November.