Bad leadership, not bad employees, is at the heart of ‘quiet firing’

A well-performing employee suddenly finds himself criticised for the work he does, even when there is no justification to do so. His manager begins to exclude him from meetings and conversations and fails to provide clear development targets.

Employees who find themselves in a similar situation may be subjected to a deliberate and calculated move to compel them to quit, without their employers having to bear the monetary, legal, and psychological consequences of dismissing these employees.

However, this act of ‘quiet firing’ is perhaps more symptomatic of poor leadership that is pervasive in an organisation.

Zsofia Balatoni, Chief Strategy Officer, Rothman & Roman, told HRM Asia, “Quiet firing is usually the result of poor leadership, when leaders choose not to give sufficient and actionable feedback. It might seem like an ‘easy’ solution for a manager, but let’s be blunt: it is not an honest one.”

“The results can be devastating for both employee, manager and company, who often spend months in a painful and non-productive work relationship and create a work environment where no one can thrive.  Being a leader is hard, but that’s what the job is about.”

Instead, the onus is on leaders to provide objective and constructive feedback and encourage all team members to do the same. Even the most junior team member, said Balatoni, has the right to receive regular constructive feedback from their manager, and to ask for it if it is not forthcoming.

She continued, “In a world where organisations focus immense efforts to improve their ESG performance, let’s not forget that the ‘S’ – the social aspect – is exactly about providing an equal and just workplace. Every employee has the right to a fair workplace.”

As multi-generational workforces become more prevalent, managers should embrace feedback (and act on them) as a key learning tool on their journey of becoming better leaders. Values-driven younger employees, in particular, prioritise honesty and transparency and want to be empowered to view themselves as an equal party in a work relationship.

Organisations who continue to condone, or even tacitly support their leaders to practice biased quiet firing methods, are doing themselves a disservice and creating a detrimental effect on business and culture.

READ MORE: Bullying epidemic: Asia’s workplace under siege

“Quiet firing absolutely affects the morale of the rest of the workforce,” agreed Balatoni. “It is a not-transparent, quite dishonest way to deal with employees and by allowing it to happen, organisations send the message that they don’t value or require transparency. This is a very bad message in today’s ESG-driven world but especially towards the younger workforce, who are keen to work at purpose-driven, fair and just organisations.”