Written by Eve Upton-Clark

’Quiet quitting’ promised employees a relief from burnout – but what if it leads to being sidelined? 

If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you will likely have seen the term “quiet quitting” making headlines. Touted as the answer to everything from workplace burnout to outdated ‘Girl Boss’ culture, it encourages employees to simply do their jobs as described. No late nights. No being sucked into endless emails. No going the extra mile. Sound good? Well, what if ‘quiet quitting’ is actually, unsettlingly, leading to ‘quiet firing’ in some instances?

Social media influencer DeAndre Brown coined the term in a viral TikTok video earlier this year. He describes “quiet firing” as when a workplace fails to recognise and reward an employee for their contributions, subtly pushing them into leaving their jobs and so avoiding the paperwork involved in actually firing them.

According to Victoria McLean, CEO & founder of award-winning career consultancy City CV, quiet firing is “when your employer intentionally does the minimum they can for you (and there is intent involved here). Quiet firing can take various forms, such as denying pay rises, over or underworking you, cancelling 1:1s and not putting you forward for expected promotions or promoting other people over you.”

It’s more widespread than you might think, too. A recent Linkedin News poll found that out of 20,000 respondents 48% had witnessed quiet firing in the workplace and 35% have faced it themselves during their careers. Another recent Pew Research Centre report cites low pay and no opportunities for growth as the leading reasons for the 20-year high resignation rate reached last November.

For Lottie, 30, it was the burnout culture at her work as a designer, paired with the expectation that she shouldn’t complain despite being exhausted and overworked, that led her to believe she was being quietly fired. “If I was struggling to keep up, despite being understaffed with constant changes to decisions leading to redoing work time and time again, or if I felt stressed and overwhelmed I was told that’s the nature of the industry and that if I can’t do it then I shouldn’t be in the industry.”

Lottie also felt no clear understanding of how she was performing or how best to improve. “When I asked if I could reprioritise tasks so that we can manage more realistic deadlines I was told, with a laugh, it’s all a priority, and when asking when the deadline is I was told, also with a laugh, yesterday.” With the majority of her 1:1s cancelled with her head of department, this was eventually levelled as a criticism towards Lottie, with her head of department claiming Lottie never came to her with her problems. 

As with Lottie, eventually this can lead to an employee feeling so isolated or unappreciated that they’re forced to make the tough decision to leave a role for the sake of their mental wellbeing. Being mistreated at work can put a significant dampener on anyone’s mental health – one study reveals that workplace abuse and stress are related to poorer mental health, including sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In her job as a buyer, Sophie, 27, was constantly told in reviews that she needed to ‘do her time’ and that she wasn’t ready for a promotion or a pay rise. “Little to no goals were set or a clear path given to help me get there,” Sophie explains. “I was constantly given more tasks that were outside my job description and just expected to do them with no consideration for my very low wage. I felt like I was being used as I had been at the company for a long time and probably also because I was young and afraid to push back.” Eventually Sophie left that job feeling unappreciated, demotivated and worried for her future.

Ultimately, a manager’s number one job is to support their team and ensure each and every employee is both happy and successful at work. Whilst ‘quiet firing’ is the most recent buzz term, the idea of an employer effectively forcing an employee to resign isn’t anything new. Constructive discharge, a legal term for involuntary resignation sometimes with grounds for legal action, has been around for many years and involves an employer actively making working conditions for an employee so unpleasant that they cut their losses and quit.

Quiet firing is an umbrella term that manifests in myriad ways. If you have suspicions your manager is trying to quietly fire you, here’s what to look out for. “A lot of it is to do with a breakdown in communication,” says McLean. “If your boss doesn’t talk to you as much, doesn’t get you involved in things, you feel alienated, perhaps even talked about behind your back. You might find you’re not invited to meetings, 1:1s or personal development programmes are put on hold or cancelled, and there’s no opportunity for advancement. It can also be tied to pay, such as being denied pay rises.”

Ironically, employees may end up ‘quietly quitting’ as a result of their bosses attempting to ‘quietly fire’ them. Vice versa, quiet firing may also come about as a backlash to employees quitting their jobs, as they’re no longer willing to go above and beyond as they once did. Either way, it results in an endless, unproductive loop in which there are no real winners. 

If you feel like you are being quietly fired McLean says the first step is to talk about it. “Be very honest and transparent and ask if what you think is happening is actually happening. Be prepared to back yourself up, talk about achievements and successes, come up with suggestions for changes. You may also want to talk to colleagues to see if they could advocate on your behalf. Also be prepared to take constructive feedback. If your boss is avoiding having a tough conversation with you, it may be because there’s something you need to change.”

Another way to avoid falling into the quiet firing trap is by being familiar with the protocols for promotions and raises at work laid out in the employee handbook. “Make sure you’ve read your employee handbook, so you’re aware of your rights in the workplace. If you’re in a union, talk to them,” says McLean.

Quitting should ultimately be the final resort when taking into account concerns about a looming recession and cost-of-living crisis. However, no one should be put in a position of choosing between their mental health and their pay check. “Making someone feel valued doesn’t have to cost anything,” says McLean. “And it can go a long way to creating a positive workplace culture.” We couldn’t agree more. 

Images: Getty

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