Ghosting in Business: Why Has “No Reply” Become the New Normal?

I live by a simple cultural value: communicate, always.
If you contact me, you get a reply. Even if it’s a blunt “no”, a polite “not yet”, or the all-too-honest “don’t know, busy rn, will revert.” Because that’s how business should be. Respectful. Human. Two-way.

Yet somewhere along the way, “no reply” became the new reply. In telecoms (and wider business), ghosting is no longer the awkward move on dating apps—it’s now standard operating procedure in boardrooms, inboxes, and LinkedIn DMs. And let me tell you: it’s exhausting.

The Rise of the Business Ghost

In sales and partnerships, the pattern is painfully familiar. You send a carefully tailored proposal. Silence. You follow up with a friendly nudge. Silence. You offer free insights, a case study, a coffee. Silence.

And it’s not just anecdotal. Ghosting has gone mainstream. Research shows that over 50% of salespeople have been ghosted by leads in the past year. Imagine the wasted cycles, the lost time, the mental load of chasing someone who has simply decided that silence is easier than “thanks, but no thanks.”

Even in recruitment—the corporate cousin of sales—the data is staggering. Indeed’s 2025 report shows 61% of U.S. job seekers admit to ghosting employers, while 36% in the U.K. do the same. More than that, 70% say it’s fair play and—brace yourself—62% plan to do it again. Employers aren’t blameless either: 76% of companies admit they’ve ghosted candidates at some point.

In other words, we’ve normalised rudeness.

Why Do People Ghost?

Some of it’s down to the sheer noise of modern business life. Our inboxes are bursting. Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, LinkedIn InMail, calendar invites, carrier pigeons… it never stops. When you’re overwhelmed, the easiest path is often no path at all: delete, ignore, move on.

Some of it is cultural. In the U.S., ghosting is almost sport. People over-commit, over-promise, and then quietly retreat when they can’t deliver. In the U.K., we’re more prone to polite avoidance—ghosting dressed up as silence because confrontation feels impolite. In parts of Asia, silence can be a culturally sanctioned way of saying “no,” saving face rather than delivering blunt rejection.

And then there are the pandemic years, when digital-only relationships taught us that disappearing into the screen was an option. As Dominic Pettman writes in On Disappearance, ghosting is a kind of digital death—a way of erasing someone without the hassle of an actual conversation. Cheerful, isn’t it?

The Human Cost of Silence

Here’s the kicker: ghosting isn’t harmless. It’s not just “avoiding awkwardness.” It costs real money, morale, and trust.

• In sales, ghosting means wasted pipeline. Harvard Business Review-aligned data suggests companies lose up to 23% of annual revenue through poorly managed churn and silent drop-offs.

• In hiring, ghosting kills employer brand. Candidates who feel ignored don’t just disappear—they talk. And in a world of Glassdoor and LinkedIn, that reputational damage sticks.

• On a human level, ghosting breeds resentment. It makes professionals cynical, defensive, and less likely to trust the next opportunity.

Think about it: would you let your frontline retail staff ignore a customer who asked a question? Of course not. Yet at corporate level, we accept ghosting as part of the game.

Telecoms: The Worst Offender?

I sometimes wonder if telecoms has it particularly bad. Maybe it’s the pace of change. Maybe it’s the endless RFP treadmill. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone’s always busy “fighting fires.”

But let’s be honest: telco execs are Olympic-level ghosters. They’ll happily bring you into the tent, take your ideas, smile warmly, then vanish without so much as a “thanks but no thanks.” You could be shortlisted for a major deal, flown halfway across the world for workshops, and then… radio silence.

Contrast that with other industries—say, finance or FMCG—where processes, at least, tend to force a definitive answer. Telecoms, with its mix of public sector procurement, legacy cultures, and constant reorgs, has perfected the art of not replying.

Is It Laziness, Fear, or Strategy?

Here’s what I suspect:

• Laziness: A simple reply takes 15 seconds. But people convince themselves they’re “too busy.”

• Fear: Rejecting someone feels uncomfortable. Silence feels safer.

• Strategy: Some execs deliberately keep doors half-open by never closing them. (Spoiler: it doesn’t work. It just makes everyone frustrated.)

But in every case, the outcome is the same: broken communication, frayed relationships, and wasted energy.

What’s the Alternative?

It’s not rocket science. Reply. Always.

If you’re not interested, say “No, thank you.” If you’re interested but can’t move now, say “Not yet—circle back in Q4.” If you’re swamped, send the world’s shortest email: “Busy rn, will revert.”

Do that, and you’ll be in the top 1% of professionals worldwide. Because communication, even when it’s negative, shows respect. It signals you value the other person’s time. And it leaves the door open for future engagement without resentment.

A Plea for Global Business Etiquette

So here’s my plea, to telecoms execs and business leaders everywhere: stop ghosting. Respect the time, effort, and humanity on the other side of the email.

We don’t need rolodexes anymore. We don’t need long chains of secretaries to reach someone. It’s never been easier to communicate. So why is it so hard nowadays?

Ghosting may save you 15 seconds now, but it costs you credibility, relationships, and in some cases—revenue.

Let’s bring back the simple courtesy of a reply.

Because in the long run, a quick “no” beats endless silence.