Here’s the thing about words.
Although they cannot change reality on their own, they can change people’s perceptions that sculpt our beliefs, guide our behaviour and change our world.
And recently, the term quiet quitting has been trending amongst the younger generations of workers. Put simply, quiet quitting is a new term for the old idea of simply just doing your job and not going above and beyond your stated responsibilities. This idea became more popular due to concerns about poor work-life balance and the view that there is lack of potential career upside.
But, there’s more to it.
The more sinister term quiet firing is coming into vogue.
A recent poll conducted by LinkedIn News found that nearly half of the 20,123 respondents surveyed acknowledged the reality of quiet quitting and experienced while 35 per cent saw it happening to someone else at work:
Although there are no studies about quiet firing, this phenomenon seems quite widespread and concerning.
Here is what you need to know about this new concept and what you can do as a worker if you are getting quietly fired.
TL;DR: Workplace Trends What is Quiet Firing (Work)?
What Is Quiet Firing, and Why Is It Called Quiet Firing?
The term quiet firing can be simply described as employers treating employees so badly to the point that the employee leaves (whether physically or metaphorically, i.e. they quiet quit).
Employers would often employ passive-aggressive tactics with the intention to force the employee to want to leave themselves.
Where Did Quiet Firing Come From?
The phenomenon was first highlighted by Seattle-based recruiter Bonnie Dilber who works for automation firm Zapier.
In her viral post, which has 849 comments and 1,316 shares at the point of writing, Dilber highlights certain signs of quiet firing:
- You don’t receive feedback or praise
- You get raises of 3 per cent or less while others are getting much more
- Your 1:1s are frequently cancelled or shuffled around
- You don’t get invited to work on cool projects or stretch opportunities
- You’re not kept up-to-date on information that is relevant or critical to your work
- Your manager never talks to you about your career trajectory
- You get passed over for promotions even though you have performed well to meet your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and exceeded expectations.
As mentioned above, these passive-aggressive tactics are designed to force employees out, with Dilber highlighting that:
eventually you’ll either feel so incompetent, isolated, and unappreciated that you’ll go find a new job, and they never have to deal with a development plan or offer severance. Or your performance will slip enough due to the lack of support that they’ll be able to let you go.
An important thing to note is that quiet firing is not your employer failing to promote or give you a raise if you are underperforming and not hitting your fairly determined KPIs.
There’s a need to humbly self-reflect and evaluate to see if you are not performing up to expectations or being unfairly treated.
What Can Workers Do if They Suspect They Are Being Quietly Fired?
If you see these signs and believe that you are being quietly fired, don’t jump the gun and accuse your employer of trying to force you out just yet.
There are a few things you can do as an employee.
The first step would be to sit down and have a conversation with your manager.
But instead of going on the offensive and making it a debate, you should frame the conversation with curiosity and ask open-ended questions. Tell your manager what you have been experiencing and seek their opinion on the issue.
Tread carefully here and document all your exchanges about your concerns with your manager.
If you do not make headway with your manager, you can bring up this matter with your Human Resources (HR) team and present your case about the unfair treatment you have been receiving.
It will be good to email all parties involved with a follow-up email that summarises whatever was discussed to create a paper trail and gather evidence about what was said.
If this doesn’t work out and your employer continues to act maliciously, you should start finding a new job to leave your toxic work environment as soon as you can afford to.
Have You Experienced Quiet Firing or Seen Someone Who Was Quietly Fired?
Share the signs in the comments below!
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