How to tell if your boss is trying to quietly fire you

Have you missed out on a promotion, been left out of work meetings or felt your boss is being standoffish lately? They may be trying to make you so miserable that you’ll leave.

Workers fear they are being “quietly fired’’ from their jobs as bosses try to make staff so miserable that they quit.

Missing out on a promotion can be a sign of quiet firing. but there are more subtle indicators, such as standoffish behaviour from a manager.

A recent LinkedIn poll revealed 35 per cent of workers have faced quiet firing, while 48 per cent say they have seen it affect others in their workplace.

IS IT HAPPENING TO ME?

Simon Hogg, chief executive of talent marketplace Referall, says quiet firing happens when workers experience a change in attitude from their boss or even their work mates.

“Things like being left out of meetings, being overlooked for promotions and other growth opportunities, a general aloofness or being ignored are all indicators that (workers) could be on the way out (being quietly fired),” Hogg says.

“For casual or part-time workers, it may present as receiving less hours or less favourable duties.”

Q5 managing director and organisational health expert Lyndal Hughes.

Q5 managing director and organisational health expert Lyndal Hughes says quiet firing is largely based on feelings, making it difficult to prove. “Not getting a pay rise is not enough (to prove quiet firing) – that might just be evidence of what’s happening in the market or the financial reality of the organisation,” she says.

“But if there’s a shift in (attitude towards a worker) – you didn’t get a pay rise, you’re feeling you’re not being invited to the meetings you used to be invited to, you’re not attending team events that you used to be attending, the development opportunities aren’t there that you used to have previously – that could be (a sign of quiet firing).”

ANTIDOTE TO QUIET QUITTING?

Quiet firing often occurs when employers want to move a worker on but avoid the discomfort of sacking them. There are suggestions the practice is gaining momentum in retaliation to the quiet quitting movement, where burnt-out workers perform the bare minimum to avoid being fired.

Hughes says the two concepts have little in common other than a reluctance of those concerned to “speak up and articulate their needs”.

“If something like (quiet firing) is happening, then a lot of other things that are toxic are also happening,” says Hughes, pointing to poor workplace culture and wellbeing.

“This whole notion of quiet firing is evidence of having no ethical and moral qualities.”

TIME TO MOVE ON

Those who think they are being quietly fired should speak to their boss to determine whether their assessment is correct – if it is, the employer will struggle to reciprocate with a respectful dialogue, Hughes says. “If after that conversation there is a sense of being quietly moved on, I would just find another role,” she says. “There’s more jobs than people at the moment so it’s the perfect time to have that courage and make the decision (to leave).”

Taurus Marketing group account director Samantha Sakr is grateful not to have experienced quiet firing.

MUTUAL RESPECT

Taurus Marketing group account director Samantha Sakr is grateful not to have experienced quiet firing, enjoying an open, respectful relationship with her employer that has allowed her to progress into leadership roles early in her career.

“Just as I expect and do receive constructive feedback on performance and output from my CEO, I am comfortable enough to offer it back as a way to show that I value the company I work for and represent,” Sakr says.

“This may be a rare practice but, in fact, should be the way it is.

“Mutual respect from both parties.”

Employment Hero people and culture manager Lauren Berry says workers deserve to be treated with dignity, even when their performance is below expectations.

“Quiet firing is the wrong way to treat people,” she says.

“You can still be respectful and fair and have tough conversations.”

WARNING SIGNS

These signs can indicate if you are being quietly fired:

● You start being overlooked for promotions and pay rises.

● Training and development opportunities are no longer available to you.

● You are no longer invited to meetings you were previously expected to attend.

● Your work hours get reduced.

● You are excluded from group messages and conversations you previously took part in.

● The work duties assigned to you are less favourable than those you used to perform.

● Your boss ignores you or acts aloof towards you.

Source: Simon Hogg and Lyndal Hughes

Originally published as How to tell if your boss is trying to quietly fire you