What You Can Do to Protect Yourself From “Quiet Firing” By Your Boss

"Quiet firing" occurs when a boss subtly attempts to make an employee's job so stressful that the employee finally quits. This phenomenon isn't new; it's just that we now have a term for it. Bosses do this because, for whatever reason, they don't want to spend time, money, and resources to reskill, retrain and improve you professionally. So how can you identify when it's happening to you? And more importantly, how do you protect yourself from its consequences?

Quiet firing isn't new

The term "quiet firing" was coined in response to the recent rise of "quiet quitting," popularized on social media. However, the actual practice has existed for longer than just a few weeks. Anyone working in the restaurant or retail industry has likely experienced a boss who cut their hours to practically nothing. They do this in the hopes that you'll quit, which can have many consequences, including a potential inability to get unemployment benefits. It also means that a company doing this won't have to worry about developing your skills or offer severance when you do quit.

Quiet quitting is a term first coined in 2009 by economist Mark Boldger, but recently, social media users have posted videos imploring people to stop overextending themselves at work at the risk of their mental and physical health. Not stop working entirely; just not saying "yes" to everything to avoid burning themselves out.

The signs of quiet firing

There are many examples of bosses and companies attempting to quiet fire a particular employee. Here are just a few of the most common:

• Your boss never seems to be around for important discussions with you
• They start missing more one-on-one meetings with you
• Your boss assigns the cool and interesting projects you made clear you wanted  to other members of your team  
• You get vague reasons about why you're not getting promotions or decent pay raises, but your co-workers are
• The scope or parameters of your job change with no input from you
• Without warning, they put you on an Employee Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), even though no manager or supervisor mentioned a performance deficiency.

In the business world, these are often subliminal ways of saying, "I want you to quit so I don't have to fire you and deal with the fallout from that."

Unfortunately, sometimes the behavior isn't so subtle. Workplace bullying, power plays by bosses, and constant criticism are also designed to break you down, make you question your abilities, and make you feel so insufficient that you practically run for the door to get out. 

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What you can do if you're a victim of quiet firing

So now that you know the signs, what can you do if you think this is happening to you?

If your manager or company purposely partakes in this kind of behavior, the fault lies with them, not you. If this is the case, it might be a good idea to consider quitting.

But there's also a chance your manager doesn't realize what they are doing is hurting others and how it's negatively affecting you and your team. In either case, there is a chance that you can put a stop to it. How? By doing the following:

1. Create a detailed paper trail of every instance of the behaviors in question

This is your most important step. For example, if your boss cancels a one-on-one meeting, note when and why they did it if any. Every time something happens, write it down. Save a copy of every email and create a work journal. You can even include how the actions made you feel at the moment.

2. Schedule a meeting with your boss

No matter what is going on, your boss owes it to you to sit down and discuss the situation, so make sure they do. Schedule the meeting, rather than dropping by unexpectedly, and try to stress the importance of the meeting to encourage them not to cancel subtly. Take your documentation in with you and calmly review what you've noted regarding the situation.

3. If your boss is unresponsive to your complaints, you have decisions to make

Suppose your boss does cancel or otherwise disregards your assertions. In that case, nothing will change, and you can quit, remain employed while looking for a job elsewhere, or, if the situation is bad enough, you can potentially file a lawsuit against your employer for creating a hostile work environment.

Protect your wellbeing at all times

The best part of being an employee today is that your options for finding better places to work are plentiful due to companies embracing remote work. So now, finding a psychologically safe workplace has never been easier. Safeguard yourself, and you'll never regret it.

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