We previously discussed both quiet quitting, when employees do just enough work to avoid being fired, and quiet firing, when employers make work conditions so uncomfortable and unbearable that employees quit, but there are still additional ways employers and employees passive-aggressively manipulate each other.
The latest buzzword in this silent chess match is “quiet hiring.”
A New Employee Relations Buzzword
“Quiet hiring is when an organization goes about acquiring the skills and capabilities that it needs without necessarily adding full-time headcount,” says Emilie Rose McRae, Senior Director of Research at Gartner, in a recent podcast.
However, she notes this doesn’t necessarily mean employers will save money on payroll costs. Quiet hiring could involve simply having employees work in another part of the organization—for example, “moving some HR and marketing analysts from their HR and marketing roles to open data scientist positions and then either reskilling or upskilling folks so that they can do that work or maybe redesigning the role a little bit and bringing in contractors to do some of the more complex parts that the HR and marketing analysts might otherwise need to be reskilled for,” McRae explains.
In general, the party on the receiving end of the “quiet” action typically doesn’t like being on the receiving end. For example, employers don’t like when employees quietly quit, and employees don’t like being subtly pushed out the door.
Quiet Hiring Can Be Perceived Positively
So, is quiet hiring in the same boat? No, writes Jordan Turner for Gartner. Quiet hiring can benefit not only organizations but also employees by providing them with opportunities to enhance current skills and competencies or learn new ones. For example, this might involve stretch assignments that let employees demonstrate their potential value to their current organization and future employers.
However, Turner notes that “quiet hiring doesn’t mean employees who volunteer for these kinds of assignments shouldn’t be compensated or rewarded in some way.”
While there may certainly be benefits to “quiet hiring” for both employers and employees, employees would likely prefer that the “quiet” part be removed. It’s great to give employees new upskilling and career advancement opportunities, but it should be done transparently.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.