Photo of female worker having headache after been fired from work
What Is Quiet Firing?
The chatter around quiet firing is getting louder, and while the term may be new, the practice it describes has been around for decades. Some managers will do anything to avoid confrontation. Rather than telling someone their work or behavior is substandard, they resort to indirect, passive-aggressive means to get their message across. Deliberately excluding an employee from an important meeting or project, failing to give them any meaningful feedback, or passing them over for a pay rise or promotion – these are just a few of the ‘quiet firing’ tactics managers use to create a hostile environment and force employees to quit. Such an approach can be demoralizing for the individual and contribute to a toxic work culture – and it is happening more and more.
According to a recent LinkedIn poll, more than 80% of employees have witnessed or experienced quiet firing. With the rise of hybrid and remote working, this is hardly surprising. It’s infinitely easier to freeze someone out in a virtual setting – ignoring an email is not quite the same as blanking someone in person – but that doesn’t make it right.
So, what should you do when someone on your team is underperforming or disruptive, and you suspect it might be time for them to go?
Provide An Opportunity To Improve – To A Point
Alerting the employee to your concerns is recommended – even though under some employment contracts, such as the at-will arrangement common in the United States, you can legally terminate an employee without warning and without having to disclose just cause for doing so.
However, unless an employee is guilty of gross misconduct, letting them know they aren’t meeting your expectations allows them to rectify the issue. That means highlighting where the employee is falling short, being clear about how they need to improve and within what timeframe, and documenting the discussion so that you have a record.
That said, as much as everyone deserves the chance to succeed in their role, sometimes you need to cut ties. Many business leaders I talk to regret holding on to someone for longer than they should, but few are sorry about dismissing someone too quickly. If an individual has been with your business for a long time, the temptation can be to give them one last chance. However, if their attitude or behavior is starting to have a detrimental effect on the team, begin the termination process without delay. The health and future of the team and business must come first.
Be Compassionate
If you do reach the point of needing to fire an employee, which should be the last step in a well-documented process, fulfilling your contractual obligations is vital. Legal considerations aside, it’s also important to remember that the person you’re terminating is not just an employee but an individual with a career and a life that are about to be turned upside down. So, be kind and honest. Choose a private location for your conversation where you won’t be overheard. And deliver your message succinctly. This is not the time to beat around the bush – get straight to the point and keep the discussion short and informative, including clear steps on what happens next. Employers are not responsible for helping dismissed employees find a new role, but providing constructive criticism can help them make a smooth transition to their next job.
Consider The Team
Think about the wider team and how dismissing one of their co-workers will impact morale. It is good practice to inform staff as it can be disconcerting and raise all sorts of questions if someone leaves without any explanation. There is no need to go into specifics; you should always be respectful of the employee who has been fired. However, staff should at least be aware that the individual is no longer with the business.
Avoid The Need To Fire
Of course, in an ideal world, you would avoid the need to fire someone in the first place. This starts with the hiring process (I recommend this in-depth hiring guide) and selecting the right candidate who is not only able to excel within the job but is also the right fit for the team and values of the business.
The priority, following that, is to create the right conditions for that employee to succeed. If people are in the dark about your expectations, they may well struggle to meet them. The key is to set clear objectives for every role and have systems in place to monitor and measure how people are progressing right from the start. That way, all parties are in no doubt about what is required and whether those requirements are being met. And if there are issues, you’ll have data you can use to support your discussion.
Like quiet firing, performance management isn’t new, but as more and more people work from home and managers increasingly manage remote and hybrid teams, it needs a renewed focus. Now is not the time to be quiet. On the contrary, be vocal about what you expect, keep the lines of communication open, and dare to have those uncomfortable conversations. Make yours an open, honest and healthy workplace where quiet firing has no place.
