The subtle art of being pushed out of your job without actually being fired is a growing concern in workplaces across Australia. Known as “quiet firing,” this phenomenon is less about outright dismissal and more about a calculated strategy to make a role so undesirable that the employee chooses to leave voluntarily. Recent surveys suggest this isn’t just a fleeting trend; a significant percentage of managers admit to employing these tactics, and many employees have either witnessed or experienced it firsthand.
Quiet firing operates on the principle of making a job unrewarding, isolating, or stagnant, thereby pressuring the employee to resign rather than face formal termination. While the term might be new, the practice itself is not. It’s simply becoming more visible and discussed.
We’ve consulted with several HR and career experts to break down the most common indicators of quiet firing and to offer advice on how to safeguard your career if you suspect it’s happening to you.
The Five Most Common Signs of Quiet Firing
Quiet firing can manifest in subtle ways, often starting with exclusion from important meetings or a gradual reduction in responsibilities, all without clear explanations.
Jason Walker, Program Director and Associate Professor of Industrial-Organizational and Applied Psychology at Adler University in Chicago, explains, “Your responsibilities might be reduced, any prior support could disappear, and your career progression will stall. The underlying hope is that you’ll eventually decide to quit.”
1. Exclusion from Key Meetings
A sudden and unexplained absence from meetings where you were once a regular participant is a significant red flag. This could extend to being left out of project discussions or finding communication threads abandoned without your input. As Walker puts it, “It’s avoidance disguised as management.”
2. Shifting Responsibilities and Unclear Expectations
Your workload can be a telling indicator. If you’re suddenly overloaded with unachievable goals or, conversely, assigned menial tasks that offer no real challenge or growth, it could be a sign of quiet firing. Walker notes that this can feel like a setup, with unreasonable workloads or ambiguous expectations designed to make you falter.
Wende Smith, Head of People Operations at BambooHR, agrees that while a shift in responsibilities isn’t always a negative sign, the way it’s handled by your manager is crucial. If you inquire about the reasons for these changes and receive vague or no satisfactory answers, consider it a warning sign.
3. Diminished Support and Resources
Another tactic involves the gradual withdrawal of support. This can leave you feeling isolated and unsupported, making it exceedingly difficult to meet project deadlines and objectives. Smith describes this as a disorienting experience for employees who suddenly find themselves grappling with an overwhelming workload and feeling inadequate in their role. This can create an unbearable environment, prompting them to leave.
4. Stalled Career Development and Opportunities
Once vibrant one-on-one meetings that focused on your future at the company may become brief and perfunctory. A halt or significant change in your career development path is a clear indication of quiet firing. Inquiries about career growth or promotion timelines might be met with vague responses or complete silence.
Walker highlights this by stating, “Your career growth comes to a standstill, and you are passed over for promotions and raises for no apparent reason.” This can sometimes persist for years.
5. Policy-Driven Quiet Firing: The Return-to-Office Example
The push for a return to the office (RTO) has, in some instances, been weaponised as a quiet-firing strategy. As companies mandated a return to physical workspaces, many employees opted to resign rather than comply. While some may have presented this as an unexpected outcome, evidence suggests it was a calculated move.
Research has uncovered a troubling trend where RTO is used as a quiet-firing tactic. Data indicates that a substantial portion of managers and executives believed that layoffs were a consequence of fewer employees than anticipated leaving during the RTO process. Furthermore, a notable percentage of senior executives and HR professionals expressed hope for voluntary turnover during RTO. The danger in these trends is the potential for a negative ripple effect on morale and company culture, which are vital for retaining top talent. Studies have shown that nearly half of employees who have experienced RTO have lost valuable colleagues as a result.
Why Does Quiet Firing Occur?
Quiet firing often stems from an employer’s desire to mitigate costs and risks. It can be a strategy to weed out underperforming employees or, on a larger scale, to avoid the complexities and expenses associated with formal layoffs. The rise of “quiet quitting” has also brought quiet firing into sharper focus.
By avoiding formal terminations, companies can also sidestep the obligation to provide severance packages and reduce legal exposure. As Arianny Mercedes, founder of the career and workplace strategy firm Revamped, points out, “Because employers operate under increased legal and reputational scrutiny, they take the easy way and push employees out.”
The prevalence of remote and hybrid work models has, paradoxically, made quiet firing easier to implement. Joe Galvin, Chief Research Officer at Vistage Worldwide Inc., explains that managers can now avoid direct interaction with employees, simplifying the execution of subtle exclusion and disengagement tactics. In the absence of daily face-to-face contact, it becomes easier for employees to become less visible.
It’s also important to note that not all quiet firing is intentionally malicious. Some managers simply lack the necessary training or resources to conduct honest performance evaluations. Mercedes observes that many leaders are uncomfortable initiating difficult conversations and are unsure how to address performance issues or strategic misalignments, leading them to passively allow employees to drift away.
What to Do If You Suspect You’re Being Quiet Fired
Being subjected to quiet firing doesn’t necessarily mean your employment is immediately over, but it is a definitive signal to re-evaluate your professional situation. Attorney Edwin Aiwazian stresses the importance of self-advocacy, stating, “Employees need to advocate for themselves. You are always within your right to ask questions and open that channel of communication with your leaders.”
Begin by directly addressing your concerns. Seek clarity on expectations, collaboratively define your goals with your manager, and establish a shared understanding of what constitutes success. As Brandon Dawson, Chairman and Co-Founder of 10X Health System, advises, “It’s only over if you choose to stay silent. If you’re sensing signs of quiet firing, don’t retreat. Lean in.”
Simultaneously, it’s crucial to protect yourself. While quiet firing isn’t always illegal, it can be, particularly if it’s linked to discrimination or retaliation. Maintain meticulous records, save all relevant emails, document changes to your role, and formally request feedback in writing. Ensure all this documentation is stored on your personal computer for easy access should you need to take further action.
A Final Thought: Quiet Firing is a Leadership Issue, Not a Performance One
Walker concludes that quiet firing is more indicative of leadership failures and a toxic workplace culture than a reflection of an individual’s performance.
While quiet firing is a recognised phenomenon, it remains relatively under-researched. As more individuals share their experiences, researchers will likely delve deeper into this trend, paving the way for effective solutions. In the interim, our experts recommend that the most effective defence is to identify the signs early and act proactively before your options become limited.
