The four oh-not-so-quiet terms dominating HR news in 2022

Photo by Ave Calvar on Unsplash

For anyone paying attention to what’s going on in workplaces (or perhaps, browsing TikTok videos whilst having a break), the term quiet quitting has been, in fact, incredibly noisy. 

The conversation trend took off like wildfire in the media – whether you look at it from an employer or employee perspective. And the issues behind it aren’t new, they’ve simply been reframed and importantly, have created major new discussion points mirroring the current workplace environment – high stress, high employment, potential recession, employers and employees trying to find their way in the turbulence. 

Quiet quitting has grown as a term - are you aware of the other three ‘quiet’ variations - some positive, some negative? 

Here they are to use - carefully - as communication tools - in content and PR:

Quiet quitting

A trendsetter, quiet quitting took off from a viral TikTok video by @zaidlepplin where the influencer described how work is not someone’s life. Working 9-5, doing what your job demands, so not going above and beyond – especially if there is no recognition - were the main principles behind the trend that made the whole world talk and share their experiences.

The trend has been widely discussed in media across various vertical publications, to the point where most journalists have had enough of the topic now, proving it’s difficult to pitch the topic and general point of view. However, with rising costs of living and a predicted recession, the trend might grow in popularity again as many employees look to stay put.

Quiet firing

Next up, the quiet firing term came into play, where remote work accelerated communication challenges. In an attempt to avoid confrontation, line managers may avert to passive-aggressive behaviour or silent treatment by excluding an employee from meetings or promotional opportunities in order to get them to leave the business. Staggeringly, more than 80% of employees have witnessed or experienced quiet firing, which shows a deeper problem of management and transparency within workplaces.

A few experts suggested that quiet firing might be triggered by quiet quitting, as managers respond this way to employees not going an extra mile anymore. Others suggest it’s the other way around, where feeling disengaged and disconnected due to poor leadership causes employees to mentally checkout from their workplaces. Either way, it has a detrimental effect on employee mental health and wellbeing – a recent study found that employees stress reaches an all-time high as over 60% of people are emotionally detached from work.

Quiet managing

Quiet managing hasn’t gained pace yet in the media and actually has a positive meaning, where managers trust their employees to do their job by stepping back and having less frequent check-ins. However, organisations need to tread lightly as quiet managing can quickly backfire if it goes against employees’ needs and concerns.

Interestingly, Inpulse’ research shows that employees who feel their line manager trusts them to get on the job have an Engagement Index Score of 81% whereas employees who do not feel trusted have an Engagement Index Score of just 28%. At the same time, employees who feel supported by their line managers achieve an Engagement Index Score of 74% versus just 22% for those who do not feel supported. This further indicates that line managers need to strike a balance between supporting their employees and letting them get-on with their responsibilities.

Quiet hiring/re-hiring

According to SHRM research, over half of US HR professionals (51%) are concerned about quiet quitting and are actively looking for ways to reengage employees and discourage them from leaving their workplaces. Dubbed as quiet hiring or quiet re-hiring, the term involves HROs looking for ways to improve workplace environments by starting open conversations and addressing employees’ needs.

However, there is another meaning of the term, introduced by Google, where HROs are subtly looking to fill an open position internally by selecting employees that already go above and beyond. Given the fact that high-performing employees are 400% more productive than an average employee, this hiring approach proves extremely popular within Google. However, this method completely overlooks quiet quitters, further driving disengagement and division.

Our take?

Two simple words, a genius alliteration, quiet quitting, that perfectly struck an emotional chord during a complex time.

The phrase opened a doorway for important conversation for employers and employees, highlighting the experiences of each.

As with all trends, it couldn’t remain at a peak, but it created new angles for us to provide editors and journalists with insights, wisdom, and guidance from our clients so we raise awareness of their services - and they support HR decision makers. As a lovely example, expertise from our clients, LACE Partners and AdviserPlus, was featured in WorkLife’s article on quiet quitting.