Quiet Firing: A New Workplace Trend
What should employees keep their eye out for? Quiet Firing
There have been many workplace trends over the years, but quiet firing is putting a major focus on how employers treat their staff, having a significant impact on workplace culture and the overall business, says Paul Lewis, Chief Customer Officer at Adzuna.
Quite quitting has taken the media by storm, but quiet firing is the new phrase that shifts the focus to how employers treat their staff. According to a recent LinkedIn News poll, many have seen or experienced quiet firing. Quite firing is when management provides less than optimal working conditions to get a low-performing employee to leave. Promotions being delayed and isolating employees are two examples of these strategies. This idea is controversial and a non-confrontational technique to persuade workers to leave a company. However, it is not a wise strategy due to numerous drawbacks.
Why does quiet firing happen?
‘Quiet firing’ refers to employers treating their staff so that it forces them to leave and prevents the employer from having to lay them off. This could manifest itself in many ways, such as an employee being passed over for a raise or promotion, not getting challenging or interesting assignments where they can grow, or worse, their employer actively behaving in a way they feel they cannot stay. This term is becoming a new moniker for a toxic work environment and workplace bullying.
Quiet quitting signs that can lead to quiet firing
There are behaviors and actions from an employee that are signs that they are quietly quitting. These include employees refusing to do projects outside their job descriptions, ongoing lack of engagement, declining performance, passively attending meetings but not actively participating, minimal interest in career growth opportunities, and consistently logging on late or leaving/signing off early. An employee quietly quitting can trigger an employer quietly fire them. However, this is a poor practice for managers and shouldn’t be the case. It’s the employer’s responsibility to meet any issues head-on and resolve them, not simply disengage from the employee in return.
How quiet firing and quiet quitting are associated
‘Quiet quitting’ doesn’t mean leaving a job; rather, it refers to an employee who refuses to join the hustle culture by performing tasks outside their outlined responsibilities. A ‘quiet firing’ environment will likely lead to a ‘quiet quitting’ culture. If employees notice that they’re consistently undervalued and underappreciated at work, they may shift focus from trying to impress their managers and grow within the organization to seek out a new job that offers more opportunities and a less toxic culture. However, an employee engaging in ‘quiet quitting’ shouldn’t trigger an employer to start ‘quiet firing’ them. In the long term, it’s more efficient for managers to have honest conversations about why an employee’s perceived motivation or engagement levels have fallen off and if reasonable steps can be taken to change this perception. Without open dialogue, it’s also difficult to tell if an employee is ‘quite quitting’ or whether there are other factors behind the change in behavior, such as burnout.
How managers can avoid quiet firing
Quiet firing may occur if an employee struggles in a certain area and their manager either doesn’t know how to resolve it or is conflict avoidant. This can be overcome by giving managers essential training to have difficult conversations and give constructive feedback. Even if it feels awkward or uncomfortable, it’s always better to give feedback on how someone can improve than to ignore the need to have the conversation.
Additionally, holding regular check-in chats, or stay interviews, can be a great resource for employers to see how their workers feel daily and if they’re being treated fairly. Another tactic is having a neutral third party collect employee feedback or send out anonymous employee surveys to see where the entire workforce stands and how they feel. If a good number of employees feel they aren’t being heard, HR can encourage managers to set up formalized check-ins and review employee timelines to ensure that promotion rounds and raises have been distributed fairly. Overall, a communicative, employee-first employer will make it a priority to take steps to move the entire company forwards and ensure all employees feel more supported and happy at work.
How quite firing affects the employee and the business
A company’s foundation is built on its employees. And having happy, satisfied employees leads to successful company culture and business. But if a company “quiet fires” and neglects its employees in a way that makes them not want to be a part of the organization, this can have the opposite effect and cause a business to suffer.
To ensure this trend doesn’t damage an organization, employers must address the root causes behind the quiet firing. Employers should tune in to the needs of their employees, be communicative and transparent, facilitate a workplace culture that allows for a healthy work/life balance, and prioritize employees feeling supported and satisfied at work. They will be well-positioned to help the company get through the current threat of quiet firing and how it may damage a business, its culture, and its output.
See More: 3 Ways to Extend Workplace Culture Beyond Office Boundaries
Steps to take when hiring qualified talent
Businesses should always take great care in managing quiet firing and putting employees first. This is especially critical today as hiring qualified talent is challenging for many companies. Quiet firing is a new moniker for a classic toxic work environment and should be one of many “watch-outs” for senior leadership, managers, and HR teams as they assess company culture and whether it’s working to retain top talent.
Setting clear responsibilities for each role without overloading the workload is crucial. Post-pandemic, workers are placing much more emphasis on work-life balance and finding companies that align with their values. Taking a more holistic view and caring about employee wellbeing inside and outside of work will create a culture more people are attracted to join, fewer quiet quitting issues, and lessen the threat of quiet firing too.
Importance of communication within the workplace
In the modern workplace, with many hybrid and fully remote work systems, overcommunication is imperative for team morale, engagement, and success. By creating an environment that is safe for open and transparent dialogue, employees will feel comfortable reaching out to their superiors for questions. With this culture, managers can better understand where the employee is struggling and what can be done to fix it.
The pandemic has left a lasting and profound effect on how companies communicate internally. In the wake of the Great Resignation, communication could not be more crucial to boost morale, engagement, and satisfaction. Now, more than ever, managers have a responsibility to look after their teams’ mental health and wellbeing, including creating a space for open dialogue and communication to mitigate any resentments or anxieties an employee might face.
What steps have you taken to handle quiet firing at your workplace? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Image source: Shutterstock
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