You’ve seen the media on quiet quitting. Gallup poll found that 50% of Americans were quietly quitting their jobs. These are people who perform the minimum required tasks, who are at the same time psychologically detached from their work. This issue is a symptom of a bigger problem. Most people don’t wake up and say to themselves “I want to dislike my job and do the bare minimum until I can find something else.” The issue tends to be what has been said time and time again, most people don’t quit a job, they leave their boss.
With that in mind there is a trend that has happened in the past, but is getting worse called "Quiet Firing"?
Quiet firing is essentially when someone is doing the work within their job description and is living up to job responsibilities, however, their management is not acknowledging their contributions.
If someone asks themselves the questions, 'Why am I not getting the raise? Why am I not getting the promotion?' and their manager is not communicating with them on their progression, their company may be quietly firing them.
That's not the only sign of quiet firing, it can also come in the form of a boss not acknowledging an individual's hard work and contributions. In this article it shares that “quiet firing is a passive-aggressive approach to performance management” in order to make people so uncomfortable that they quit.
More vulnerable workers are in danger to this issue, where their hours may be cut or they are moved to shifts where commissions and tips may not be as good. But this issue happens across the board, as this article describes a VP who’s CEO made her work life difficult seemingly worried that she was after his job.
What should be done if you suspect quiet firing? If you believe you are being quietly fired, you should bring up your concerns to HR. Also, seeking outside advice from a trusted advisor to get their opinion and thoughts on what might be going on.
If you see this happening within your organization, it is important to provide support and speak up for those that might be quietly fired.
If you realize you are quietly firing someone, realize that is not a good look and your poor management brand gets talked about for years inside and outside of your organization. There is no “out of sight, out of mind” rules in this situation. Also, consider for just a moment what you would feel like if your boss or leadership did the same to you. It’s not a good feeling. A good leader will be honest and will provide feedback if someone isn’t performing. And if the company is going through a potential change/layoff let people know the future may be uncertain, rather then making them feel bad so they quit.