Sonya Barlow

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What is "Quiet Firing?"

sonya barlow

Quiet Firing - the aftermath or reason for quiet quitting?

What is quiet quitting?

Quiet quitting has taken over the media as the new reason we see huge drop-out rates from employees across the country. Either people aren't willing to work harder than in their job description or feel they're doing too much before filing their complaint, taking it easy or handing in their notice.

Having read the various statements made for and against quiet quitting, I find it exhausting that companies don't realise their part in this new workplace revolution. 

Quiet quitting is not the act of quitting your job but slowing down the extracurricular activities and doing the bare minimum required to get by. It can look like sticking to the job description, line by line and clocking off at 5 pm.

Evermore, I think the idea that someone can afford to take a step back and float along in the workplace is a white person's benefit because I don't see the same sentiment amongst the minorities in the workplace who have to work twice as hard to get half the reward. It's only interesting that I wrote this and woke up to Kami Rieck's article suggesting a similar motion - Women and People of Color Can't Afford to 'Quiet Quit'.

According to the data, women of colour in the workplace are less likely to achieve promotion than their white counterparts and 3x more likely to be penalised for their mistakes. Despite the numerous initiatives surrounding workplace culture, belonging, and inclusion, the decisions required to shift the traditional ways of working aren't seeping through fast enough, impacting minorities more than the majority of the working force.

The world is changing - we emphasise wellness, values and work-life balance over high stakes and opportunities for exposure. This isn't quite quitting; it's reclaiming the workplace and redefining what's necessary versus what's nice to have.

 

What is quiet Firing?

"Quiet firing" is a notion that I believe sits on either side of quiet quitting.

Quiet Firing is simply the process in which companies slowly let people go or make them believe that there is no space for them in the workplace and they should look elsewhere. Whilst quiet quitting can benefit the white person (it's making the headlines), quiet Firing hinders the progress of the minority. 

Quiet Firing sounds like - "You aren't good enough", "Your progress is limited", or "You should start looking elsewhere." It can be: no raises or small raises; limited time off; increase in workload but no increase in pay; demand for team members to work after hours; micromanaging; not involving or leaving the team member out of the loop; failure to meet with the team member; lack of respect; and low pay.

Managers and organisations avoid the discomfort of firing someone and so make them feel isolated to the extent that they resign themselves. 

I believe this to be true because it's happened to me twice - except there was no term for it back then, just a whole load of emotions to handle. My employers made me feel small, incapable and silly [they used these words]. 

In contrast, I knew that I was not only working hard but showing up early, staying later and putting in the extra time for work I wasn't being paid for [supporting the ED&I committee, for example].

So what?

Every team member an organisation loses will cost them 1.5x the salary. Yet, they define their culture by the majority and make the minority feel they aren't welcome to progress. Quiet Firing and quiet quitting are both signs of toxic cultures. 

How can you manage quiet quitting?

Suppose you are feeling the signs of quiet Firing. 

In that case, I recommend:

  • You note down the examples, identify the timestamps, speak to senior members, lean into the law and remind yourself that you are worthy but don't need to be made to feel inadequate.

  • Update your Linkedin and negotiate new offers or hold tight and wait until they pay you to leave.

If you are an employer:

  • Ensure that all workloads are manageable and balanced; the minorities in the room aren't doing the extracurricular because they are of that identity.

  • Everyone's involved - that you are listening, learning and learning about their needs, which ultimately support business profits and productivity.

Want to carry on the conversation? Let's get together and discuss.