Meet 'Quiet Firing,' the Subtle Passive-Aggressive Approach That’s Making Workplaces Unbearable

Social media has been abuzz with chatter about “quiet quitting,” a workplace trend where workers reject the hustle and grind to achieve an ideal work-life balance, but in the height of that, another side of the coin appeared. Employers who want to let go of an employee without outright terminating them (so they don’t pay severance) are now “quiet firing.” But what is it anyway?

What Is “Quiet Firing” and Where Did It Come From?

Quiet firing sprung from the concept of quiet quitting, which gained traction when New York-based musician Zaid Khan uploaded a video on TikTok. In it, he explained that he heard of a term where someone isn’t actually quitting their job, but more of “quitting the idea of going above and beyond” and “no longer subscribing to the hustle culture mentality.” The video went viral and sparked heated discussions worldwide, including a viral post on LinkedIn suggesting that “the real conversation should be around ‘quiet firing’ as it’s rampant [in the workplace].”

Quiet firing highlights poor managers who don’t support, train, and coach their teams effectively, making employees (or the “unwanted” ones) feel undervalued and unappreciated that they’ll quit on their own. In a sense, you could say that part of the culprit behind quiet quitting are managers who are making life harder for employees despite them doing more than what’s expected from their job description. Young professionals who are quiet quitting are being portrayed as lazy and unmotivated for setting boundaries when in fact, it could be the bosses who are creating a demoralizing work environment that’s pushing them to the “I’m not getting paid enough for this” mindset.

A passive-aggressive leadership approach like quiet firing may save a boss from having difficult conversations with their employees, but it could damage a company’s reputation and affect their hiring process in the long run. After all, nobody wants to work with a bad manager.

Is Your Company or Manager ‘Quiet Firing’ You?

You need your job, and that’s why you’re staying. The question is, does your job still want you? It can be tricky to tell, but according to recruitment manager Bonnie Dilber’s LinkedIn post, you could be experiencing “quiet firing” if…

• You don't receive feedback or praise

Your manager doesn’t give you feedback, whether you did good or not in a certain project, leaving you clueless if the tasks you performed helped with the team’s success. Without recognition, you start questioning yourself if you still have value in the company.

• You get raises of 3% or less while others are getting much more

This is difficult to tell as many companies forbid their employees from talking about salaries, but if you get a hunch that others are getting much more than you do, it could be two things: 1) your boss is playing favorites, or 2) they’re giving you a low raise, so you’ll consider looking for a new job.

• Your 1:1s are frequently cancelled or shuffled around

Your manager is busy, and so are you. If they’ve been cancelling one-on-one sessions or keep telling you “Next time!” but it doesn’t happen, it could be that their priorities lie somewhere else. The sad part here is that those priorities don’t include you. If they value you as a part of the team, they’ll manage (ironic, huh) their time and make room for you.

• You don't get invited to work on cool projects or stretch opportunities

There’s a big project coming, and you’re not invited to be part of it. This is understandable if you’re still lacking in experience, but if you have the skills and qualifications, it’s time to start thinking why you didn’t get a chance to participate.

• You're not kept up to date on information that is relevant or critical to your work

Let’s give everyone the benefit of the doubt and believe that they simply “forgot” to loop you in, but if it happens most of (or all) the time, that’s probably not a case of forgetfulness.

Not being updated about the things that matter to you at work makes you prone to committing mistakes, which can be held against you. What’s more, it can breed hate if you’re working with a team because you might end up adding more workload to your teammates.

• Your manager never talks to you about your career trajectory

Quiet quitting and quiet firing go hand in hand as employees going the extra mile eventually feel burnt out because their managers aren’t giving them credit where it’s due. While it varies case to case, not seeing where your career is going — or if there’s growth at all — could be a sign that your boss doesn’t want you going up the ladder anymore. “People quit managers, not companies,” as the common saying goes.