Quiet firing – meaning, origin and usage

The term “quiet firing” is often heard these days, but if you don’t already have an understanding of what that is, there’s no need to worry, because this article is going to remedy that.

First we will cover what is meant by the term “quiet firing” and how the term may have originated, leading on to a wider discussion of quiet firing in the workplace. This includes how to spot the tell-tale signs of quiet firing, and how it contrasts with direct firing and quiet quitting.

This will be followed by a section on what the potential impact can be and a discussion on how to prevent the practice of quiet firing. Finally, we will wrap up with a handy section where we answer your most commonly asked questions on the subject. By the end you’re sure to feel like an expert on the subject.

So, without further ado, let’s get down to it.

What is the meaning of the term “quiet firing”?

Simply put, the phrase “quiet firing” refers to the practice of an employer’s subtle and often covert tactics to make an employee so unhappy at work that they are forced to quit their job.

The important point to note here is that quiet firing doesn’t involve actually firing someone, and the word “quiet” in this context is a reference to the secretiveness or subtlety of the actions. The quiet firing is deliberately carried out so subtly that it would seem as though it was completely unintentional.

What is the origin of the term “quiet firing”?

The term “quiet firing” appears to have been inspired by the earlier term “quiet quitting”, The term “quiet quitting” refers to the practice of an employee “quietly” or subtly doing the absolute bare minimum in their job, without actually quitting.

The practice that quiet firing refers to long predates the term itself, which is believed to have emerged online in 2022, shortly after the emergence of the term “quiet quitting.”

On Twitter (now X) one person said: “Quiet quitting is currently an issue for employers but they’re okay with quiet firing wherein inhumane workloads, minimal to zero pay hike and power tripping are present over the years.”

In response they were told: “ ‘Quiet firing’ isn’t new. It’s decades old. A practice that employers have used not to have to pay severance. Making work horrible for the employee so they quit. It just has a name now.”

So, the term “quiet firing” emerged relatively recently, as a way to describe the phenomenon of the concept of employers pushing employees to quit. The term gained traction on social media, and one of the first people to use the term was the social media influencer DeAndre Brown who mentioned the term in a TikTok video that quickly went viral.

Quiet firing in the workplace

Prevalence

Quiet firing is a largely unreported trend that has been going on for more years than many managers would care to admit.

A survey carried out by JobSage in 2022 found that more than half of the managers surveyed had wished they could fire an employee, while a staggering 29 percent have intentionally ‘quiet fired’ an employee. This is a substantial proportion, which suggests that this may be a much bigger problem than we may have realised.

Many people may even have experienced this directly, but didn’t necessarily know or suspect that there was an actual thought process and concerted effort on the part of the manager to get rid of them.

Causes

The most common cause of quiet firing is a personality clash between the employee who is being quiet fired, and the line manager above that person. That said however, quiet firing can come from managers higher up the chain.

Other causes include the manager believing that an employee has plateaued or has lesser potential than peers. As a result, these managers may decide not to invest more time or energy, in the form of promotions or training, into the employee out of the belief that those efforts will not return worthwhile results.

Another potential cause of quiet firing is unintentional quiet firing through poor management. For example, a line manager may feel inexperienced, unorganised, or overwhelmed, and may not feel confident about addressing issues with the employee directly, and may feel that the solution is to not give them any further encouragement in the form of training or new projects.

Method

There are a wide range of methods that a manager might use to drive an employee to want to quit their job altogether. Examples include, but aren’t limited to, creating a hostile or intolerable work environment, giving them less desirable duties, making them feel less welcome, excluding them from meetings and projects, gradually reducing responsibilities, and providing little to no feedback or support.

Other examples of quiet firing tactics include stalled promotion and advancement, halting of new tasks and projects, increased bureaucracy and micro-management, pushing back on promises, such as training or rises, overworking the employee, lack of mentoring or support from management when required, or above all any unfair or unequal treatment.

Consequences

If a manager is making an employee’s workplace feel unpleasant, this may involve having a toxic workplace. Having a toxic work culture is unpleasant for everyone involved, and can even affect people’s mental health.

If an employee is made to feel that their best option is to go ahead and quit, then if they haven’t already got an alternative job lined up, then this essentially means that they have lost their livelihood, and the means to pay their bills and so on.

If the quiet firing ends with an employee quitting their post, this also has consequences for the remaining employees. Other members of the team may lose a much loved friend, and these colleagues will likely have to take on extra workload in order to cover for the missing colleague. This may in turn make them feel bitter, and even make the work environment feel more toxic, possibly even more toxic than it previously was. As a manager, your role is to provide support.

An important aspect of quiet firing is its legal consequences. Although quiet firing in itself isn’t directly considered to be illegal, if it is arguable whether this quiet firing experience is a form of constructive dismissal, then it is possible for the employee to put a legal case against their former employer.

What are the tell-tale signs of quiet firing

Quiet firing can often be so subtle that targeted employees may question their experience and lead them to wonder whether they are really being quiet fired at all. Thankfully however, there are often tell-tale signs, and if you do feel some of them sound familiar, make a note incase this can later be used in a claim for constructive dismissal.

Here follows a list of tell-tale signs to look out for if you suspect you are being quiet fired:

• Negative performance reviews without prior indication of issues
• You might be receiving excessive criticism or negative feedback
• Achievements are overlooked - your hard work goes unacknowledged
• Excessive micromanagement - the line manager starts scrutinizing your every move, even on minor tasks
• Being consistently assigned menial or meaningless tasks, while others are given more challenging and interesting work
• Your ideas and suggestions are consistently ignored or dismissed
• You’re given more responsibilities or a heavier workload without a corresponding increase in pay or recognition
• You’re no longer invited to important meetings or assigned to key projects and you feel out of the loop
• Your manager becomes increasingly distant, and avoids engaging with you, and may not always respond to your emails.
• You receive little to no constructive feedback on your performance, making it difficult to know where you stand or how to improve
• Sudden changes to your work schedule, location, or role without clear justification
• No opportunities for growth - opportunities for new projects, responsibilities, or training suddenly dry up
• Being consistently passed over for promotions or raises, even when you feel you’re performing well
• You are working below you ability and your skills and talents are overlooked
• Your feeling increased stress and anxiety, feelings of isolation, or a nagging sense of being undervalued at work
• Your manager’s behavior toward you has changed
• Criticism of your work is suddenly relentless

Quiet firing vs. direct firing vs quiet quitting: How do they compare and contrast

So, the main difference between quiet firing and direct firing is that while direct firing involves literally firing someone from their job, quiet firing does not involve firing someone. Instead, quiet firing involves the employer making the working conditions so unpleasant for an employee that they are driven to quit of their own accord.

In case you missed it earlier on, the terms “quiet firing” and “quiet quitting” are like two sides of the same coin. When an employee is unhappy in their workplace, they might be inclined to “quiet quit” which may involve such things as stopping going above and beyond the call of duty in their day to day work. Instead of diligently working through too high a workload, they could simply meet the bare minimum criteria of their job, and leave on time rather than doing any unpaid overtime.

In contrast, “quiet firing” would be a task for the employer or manager, with a strategy being put into place that is specifically designed and intended to drive an employee (someonetimes one, sometimes several) into quitting their job of their own accord, as they see it as the best option for them.

An employer who is “quiet firing” someone is deliberately leading someone to “quiet quit.” But, this works the other way too. If an employee is “quiet quitting” for one reason or another, an employer may feel more inclined to quiet fire them, so that they could be replaced by someone with a better attitude to either the quality of their work or their productivity in work or both.

What is the potential impact of quiet firing on employees

Unless an employee makes a claim for constructive dismissal, it may be difficult for someone who has been quiet fired to explain to a future employer that they were deliberately forced to quit by their former employer.

A future employer may take the view that this employee was difficult to work with and was unmotivated. The employee may be viewed as unreliable or flaky, and this wouldn’t strike confidence in them during the application process or in any interviews.

How to prevent the practice of quiet firing

As with other forms of conflict, communication and empathy are key. If you are in managerial position and you are unhappy with one of your subordinates for one reason or another then you should address your concerns with this employee with them in private, and work toward a solution together. This is many times more preferable than creating an unpleasant work culture, especially if this will involve being in a toxic workplace.

If, on the other hand, you are an employee, and you feel as though you are on the receiving end of quiet firing, then addressing this with the manager should still be your first port of call. Explain how you are feeling and don’t be afraid to ask them directly whether they are deliberately trying to get you to quit.

Allowing regular catch-ups and 1-1s can decrease the likelihood of both quiet quitting and quiet firing behaviors alike.

FAQs

What are some other terms for quiet firing?

There are many words and phrases that are often associated with “quiet firing.” This includes terms such as “toxic workplace” which is used to describe a workplace where people are miserable or frustrated, or if there is generally tension in the air.

But perhaps more appropriate is the term “constructive dismissal.” Basically, a constructive dismissal is a modification of the term “wrongful termination.” Constructive dismissal occurs when an employee resigns due to the employer’s actions creating an intolerable or unacceptable work environment, effectively forcing them to leave, and is treated as if they were dismissed.

Like quiet firing, constructive dismissal arises from the employer’s behavior, not the employee’s actions or performance.

Sometimes people may use the synonymous phrase “soft firing” and “silent firing.”

Is quiet firing legal in the UK?

Unfortunately, “quiet firing” is not explicitly illegal in the UK. That said however, if any of the actions carried out involved a breach in employment laws, this can lead to negative legal consequences for the employer.

It’s also worth noting at this point that if an employee can prove constructive dismissal, they may be entitled to the same remedies as if they had been unfairly dismissed, such as compensation. It can be difficult to prove constructive dismissal, as it requires demonstrating that the employer’s conduct was so serious that it forced the employee to resign. It’s generally recommended to follow the employer’s grievance procedure before claiming constructive dismissal, as this can strengthen the claim.

Therefore, depending on the specific tactics used to get an employee to quit, “quiet firing” could potentially lead to legal issues, such as constructive dismissal claims.

Saying that something is legal or illegal is different from saying that something is ethical or unethical. Whether quiet firing is ethical may often depend on the context, and there will be several factors that can influence it. What we can say however is that such matters are often best dealt with via open and honest communication as opposed to deliberately making someone feel uncomfortable in their workplace, especially if it may be for a prolonged period of time.

How common is quiet firing?

It was mentioned earlier, but it bears repeating here. A survey carried out in 2022, by JobSage, found that a whopping 29% of the managers surveyed had intentionally ‘quiet fired’ an employee. You have to admit that this is a substantial proportion of managers, so we would go so far as to say that this is a far bigger problem than many employers would be prepared to admit.

Final word

So, to summarise, the phrase “quiet firing” refers to the practice of an employer’s subtle and often covert tactics to make an employee so unhappy at work that they are forced to quit their job. It is distinct from direct firing in that there is no firing involved.

The term emerged on social media following the emergence of the term “quiet quitting” in 2022. That said however, it is believed that the process of “quiet firing” has been going on for many years if not decades prior to the emergence of the term on social media. Quiet quitting and quiet firing are like two sides of the same coin, opposite but inherently connected.

If you’re concerned that you are being quiet fired, there are many tell-tale signs that you can look out for. Quiet firing is not illegal in the UK per se, however if you make a note of how you are being treated, then you may be able to make a case for constructive dismissal.