Quiet Firing and Quiet Layoffs
Why is there so much “quiet” in the workplace right now?
In August I wrote about the new trend of “quiet quitting,” where employees do the bare minimum to earn their paycheck. Some argue it’s a reaction to the burnout many employees feel when they’re asked to do too much without enough support. So they choose to do just enough, but won’t or can’t go above and beyond for their employer.
Now, there’s another similar term attracting attention: quiet firing. Quiet firing is where an employer wants a staff member to quit instead of outright firing them, so they start making work as uncomfortable as possible for that staffer. This includes removing responsibilities, not giving raises or promotions, and decreasing opportunities for growth. For ambitious workers who desire to build a career, this type of treatment is untenable and will force them to look for a place where they can grow.
There’s also “quiet layoffs,” where companies give employees a choice of intensive performance improvement plans, or a severance package. The goal is to make the performance improvement so difficult, the employee will leave and the severance package won’t be necessary.
The issue with all this “quiet” is that no one is truly expressing what they think or what they feel. Whether its employees, their managers, or corporate leadership, why is everyone avoiding talking about what’s really going on?
Granted, there are employment laws that prevent some candid conversations from taking place in order to avoid lawsuits. But if we want to create the future of work where everyone is at their best and working collaboratively, we have to do things differently.
From the employee perspective, being “quiet” means they don’t feel like leadership will hear their frustrations, or that they will be heard and ignored. It’s a response to feeling powerless and hopeless. Probably easier to quietly stay in a job with relative security and routine than go through the stressful job-hunting process. There’s often a victim energy behind this mindset.
From the employer perspective, being “quiet” means you don’t have to deal with the unpleasantness of upset employees being fired or laid off, or the potential negative media they may generate. It’s easier to make circumstances so disagreeable for unwanted employees that they leave of their own volition and avoid inconveniences such as severance packages, news stories, and the damaging hit to your brand reputation or stock prices.
What we’re losing amidst all this “quiet” is authentic communication and looking out for each other’s best interests. Conscious leaders can help end this passive aggressive tension by facing the unspoken frustrations head-on.
If you need to fire or lay off employees, do it in a way that is as conscious as possible. Can you communicate the reasoning behind the decision? How can you support them (financially and emotionally) in transitioning to a new job? Be as honest and compassionate as possible. Not everyone will appreciate it, but you will act with integrity and seek to raise the overall consciousness of your organization and its reputation.
If you have employees quiet quitting, it means there is dysfunction in the organization. It’s time to be honest and take radical responsibility for what’s happening. Create a safe environment where employees can share their frustrations and know they will be addressed. Then address the challenges in a transparent, collaborative manner. It may require dramatic internal cultural changes, or helping staff leave if they no longer feel committed to the company’s vision.
We cannot create a healthy, conscious workplace until we break the silence and have honest conversations about what’s really happening.
Work happy. Live happy. BE happy.
Meredith
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The way we work and build teams is rapidly changing. Leaders often feel unprepared to navigate the transition. As a conscious leadership coach, consultant and communicator, Meredith helps leaders and their teams create new ways of working and relating so they can prepare for the future by consciously co-creating it.
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