TL;DR – Not sure if you are a victim of quiet firing? Here are 5 signs to look out for.
1. Changing your job description completely
This is the one time where less work should be worrisome. Nicely put, your management could have disguised it with the term “restructuring”.
But having your responsibilities taken over by another colleague and tasking you with a role that have very little exposure could be a red flag. This is especially concerning if your initial job scope gives you more exposure and more visibility by the management.
2. Your boss is making your life difficult
There are many ways a boss can bring inconvenience or trouble to your work life. You may notice your boss singling you out in meetings or overloading you with more work.
To keep you working till late, some horrible bosses may even wait until the end of the day to assign you an urgent task.
Such bosses are careful in calibrating their quiet firing strategy, so that they won’t appear to be overboard.
3. You are being set up to fail
It may not be as straightforward as you think. Sometimes being set up to fail could be due to the lack management support. When leaders fail to provide information or resources upon request, it could hinder you form carrying out your duties.
In other cases, bosses may not appear to be an obvious opponent, but they are not behaving like allies. You may find yourself left to fend for yourself against other departments.
4. Your work environment suddenly becomes hostile
Isolation is a common tool used in quiet firing, but it is usually done very subtly. The objective is to remove your sense of belonging.
Bosses may leave you out of meetings, events, and social gatherings to drive a wedge between you and your co-workers.
In extreme cases, some bosses arrange for the you to shift to another area of the office to minimize the chances of you interreacting with others.
5. Delayed promotion or denied raises
If you have been repeatedly passed over for promotion and career opportunities, it’s obvious that you have a target on your back. In a quiet firing situation, managers dangle the possibility of a promotion with no intention of it coming to fruition.
In a healthy organization, leaders will provide clear goals that is expected of their employees before they can progress to the next level of their career. In cases of quiet firing, work goals and requirements will continually be adjusted to delay your promotion.
Quiet firing reflects poor management
Leaders should be creating opportunities for growth and development but many of them fail to have frequent meaningful conversations with their employees. It is crucial for bosses to communicate with their employees periodically to adjust priorities and provide support for employees to succeed.
What to do if you are a victim
- Have a conversation with your boss. Don’t just share your feelings, be objective by sharing incidences you have experienced.
- If speaking to your boss isn’t working, ask him/ her if you can involve Human Resources (HR). This could be effective especially if your company has a fair and credible HR department. Alternatively, you can also involve the union if your company has one.
Unfairness at the workplace should not be kept silent. Sharing this with your union will allow them to identify how many employees are facing the same treatment. Collecting more voices will give unions more stance in collective bargaining where they can negotiate employment terms and conditions.
