A recent surge of employees have been “quiet quitting.” Quiet quitting is the act of doing the bare minimum amount of work for an otherwise dreadful job. However, employers are also using a tactic called “quiet firing,” which is the attempt to make a workplace unpleasant or unattractive to a current employee with the hopes that they’ll leave.
If you think your employer is trying to fire you indirectly, you may need to look for these red flags:
Your promotion was denied
You may have been promised a promotion or raise by your employer. This promotion may have helped you in many ways and even brought you closer to your dream job. But when it came time to get it, you were denied. This could be seen as a form of gaslighting to make you consider leaving the job.
You received a poor performance review
Your employer may have recently reviewed your work and given you a poor performance review. This may contrast with the compliments your employer has given you about your work and the extra work you’ve taken on. This performance review could be used as an excuse to fire you or restrict your role.
You can’t reach your team members
Communication between your team members may be vital for your role. You may have reached out to your co-workers about projects but haven’t been able to reach them. Or, there could have been a group meeting that you were excluded from. This exclusion and lack of communication may be a tactic to make a workplace uninhabitable.
You’re overworked/underworked
Your work may have been steady until just recently. You could be doing twice or three times as much work as you’re capable of doing. Or, you’re doing so little work that you can’t imagine why your employer is keeping you. This may be a tactic your employer is using to try and push you out of your job.
Quiet firing is often done to save on costs at the detriment of an employee’s livelihood. If you think your employer is quiet firing you, then it may help to learn about your legal options.