The term “quiet quitting” started making headlines last year. Which refers to employees who put no more effort into their jobs than absolutely necessary. If they can skate by with the bare minimum requirements than great, and if not then they may be okay with transitioning to a new role elsewhere.

This power dynamic shift has wreaked havoc across many industries and companies. This tactic also has left HR professionals and employee managers with the added responsibility of identifying those employees that fit this criteria.

Not long after quiet quitting came a new term called “quiet firing”. This term describes a situation where managers would use passive-aggressive tactics to get employees to leave instead of outright firing them.

Next was “quiet hiring” as organizations moved employees around to fill talent gaps and hired contract and part-time workers, rather than full-time replacements.

The latest renditions of the quiet trend include “quiet promoting” and “quiet leading”.

“Quiet promoting” describes the practice of giving employees more to do without providing a raise to compensate for the extra work. And the latest buzzword, quiet leading, is assigned to managers and bosses who don’t actively build relationships with their teams. Instead, they are detached, which drives a decline in employee engagement and productivity.

So, Why Does The Quiet Trend Exist? And How Can Employers Avoid It?

Whether you’re dealing with employees who are quiet quitting, or managers who are quiet leading, firing ,or promoting, one thing is clear: It’s a red flag that communication has broken down in your workplace, and now is the time to reverse course.
Before another “quiet” trend emerges, it’s important to understand that these activities are a result of both the COVID-19 pandemic and society’s lack of real communication.

We’ve become more accustomed to doing things on our own, and not communicating with each other IRL [in real life]. We have lost the practice of saying uncomfortable things in the workplace, which should always be done in person. This could be telling an employee they’re not performing up to standards, or sharing with our manager that we need help with a project.

Being apart of the solution means an engaged team from top to bottom. Creating open lines of communication for your team can make the difference between your company being apart of the problem or the solution.

Ensuring there is a collective sense of purpose at an organization is critical as well. When everyone is working towards a goal and understands the overall value, everyone succeeds.