You’ve likely heard of quiet quitting, but have you heard of quiet firing?
These trends revolve around a similar approach to dissatisfaction in the workplace from opposite perspectives. Quiet quitting happens when employees disengage from their work and only do the bare minimum as a result of dissatisfaction, whereas quiet firing occurs when supervisors create a dissatisfactory work environment that pushes employees to leave on their own. This method can be used on purpose or unintentionally as a result of poor management.
While quiet firing has always been around, there has been a recent rise in companies utilizing this trend to oust employees while staying under the radar. However, companies are doing more harm than good and limit their future potential.
This HR 411 article will discuss…
- Why companies rely on this trend to push out employees
- How quiet firing only hurts your company
- And how to repair the company-employee relationship
Keep reading to see if your company suffers from the quiet firing trend.
Quiet Firing Is Quietly Killing Your Workforce
When done on purpose, this trend is often used as an alternative to formal layoffs, allowing companies to trim staff without triggering severance payouts or damaging their public image.
A recent report from Resume Templates revealed that over half of US companies surveyed are already engaging in or plan to engage in quiet firing. The same report stated 41% say they use quiet firing to push out certain employees, while 32% are doing it to avoid bad press of mass layoffs.
The report covered multiple methods that companies will use to drive employees out, ranging from subtle to drastic. Some subtler strategies include enforcing stricter polices, implementing unrealistic workloads or timelines, micromanaging employees, ignoring toxic workplace behavior, or increasing the number of required in-office days. Examples of more drastic measures are excluding employees from projects, isolating employees from coworkers, denying raises or promotions, and cutting or limiting access to benefits.
“From a business perspective, quiet firing can seem like an efficient way to reduce headcount without triggering layoffs, bad press, or severance costs,” ResumeTemplates’ Chief Career Strategist Julia Toothacre said in the report. “But it’s short-sighted. Creating an environment that pushes people to quit inevitably damages morale, productivity, and trust. It can also negatively impact hiring in the future.”
Toothacre also stated that — when used broadly — it could cost companies their high performers, not just the underperformers they wanted gone. Toothcare’s statements were further proven by the fact that 9 in 10 companies that started quiet firing in 2025 say that it has reduced morale.
Despite the decrease in morale, Toothacre said that many workers are tolerating the poor treatment because the job market feels uncertain.
“They’re weighing the stress of a toxic workplace against the risk of landing a new job that pays less. This calculator puts employees in survival mode, which will ultimately impact productivity,” Toothcare said
Practicing quiet firing could also put the company in legal jeopardy, as the US Department of Labor considers the trend to be “constructive discharge,” which is illegal. The legality depends on applicable employment laws and the circumstances surrounding termination.
Evidence shows that quiet firing is nothing more than employee neglect and significantly impacts how a company operates. Although this practice might be prevalent in today’s workplaces, it does not exemplify good leadership, productivity, or ethical behavior. Company leaders and HR professionals must keep an eye on their workforce to ensure the quiet firing trend doesn’t take over their workplace.
The Trend’s Biggest Issues and How To Turn It Around
In many ways quiet firing is just another way to describe workplace bullying, something no company wants as part of its culture. It’s also something that doesn’t go unnoticed.
Regardless of whether quiet firing is happening intentionally or not, it is imperative for HR leaders and company supervisors to ensure the trend is stopped to preserve the company’s future success.
The first step is to understand the root cause leading to quiet firing in your workspace whether it’s intentional or not. Quiet firing often happens because of poor management or poor organizational restructuring. This could be driven by communication barriers, unmotivated or conflict-avoidant managers, or unwillingness to follow proper termination procedures.
Here are three main areas to focus on to get your workplace back on track.
Invest in employee growth
This involves an employee’s opportunity to learn and grow within their position, and internal career moves like promotions. Withholding resources and training opportunities can lead to frustration and stagnation for affected employees. At the same time, denying promotions and raises can demotivate employees.
According to a 2019 LinkedIn study, 94% of employees said they would stay with their employer if the company invested in their development. It also found that companies who invested in employees’ career development had higher employee engagement and retention rates.
Some of the best ways to promote employee growth are leadership training and sharing internal job postings. Companies also reported that mentorship programs, continuing education support, or peer learning groups are also great ways to boost employee growth.
Foster open and transparent communication
Open and honest feedback is integral to every step of the workforce. It can help supervisors understand how to foster positive relationships with their team members. Conducting performance evaluations is an effective way to provide constructive feedback and identify areas for improvement before they escalate. HR teams can also implement exit interviews to receive feedback on an employee’s time with the company and how the employee experience can be improved.
But communication shouldn’t be limited to formal reviews. Ongoing open dialogue builds trust, encourages collaboration, and ensures that issues are addressed before they become barriers to productivity or morale. When employees feel heard and valued, they are more engaged and motivated to contribute. Transparent communication also helps align expectations, reduce misunderstandings, and cultivate a culture where continuous improvement and innovation are welcomed.
Set clear expectations and promote shared goals
This applies to employee workloads and employee discipline. Overworking can lead to burnout and resentment, not just in the affected individual but across the entire team. And where resentment grows, so does workplace toxicity and bullying.
According to the Workplace Bullying Institute, as many as 48 million Americans, or roughly 30% of the workforce, have been bullied at work with the main culprit being supervisors and leaders 65% of the time.
Maintaining employee expectations for work and timelines promotes efficiency, reduces burnout, and ensures quality outcomes. Managers can also provide extra resources as needed to help employees who are at risk of falling behind.
When it comes to discipline, employers can implement a progressive policy to manage employee behavior, performance issues, and violations of company policy. The purpose of progressive discipline is to change behavior by communicating to employees that an issue exists and discussing the opportunity to improve before taking more extreme measures.
Check out this article to learn more about progressive discipline policies and how your company could benefit from one.
Sources: LinkedIn, ResumeTemplates, Workplace Bullying Institute
