For some companies more, for others less, but regardless of the case, the dismissal or dismissal of employees is always a delicate matter and that reveals many related issues.
When this is the subject , two terms have gained recent projection – quiet firing and quietting.
What they are, what are their consequences and what can be behind their occurrence, is what we will deal with today.
What is quiet firing and quietting?
These are loanwords used in the business world and neologisms – at least around here – used to designate “silent dismissal” and that in the case of firing, it is when it comes from the company and quitting, when it comes from the employee.
Quiet quitting was the first term to gain evidence, especially in some social networks and used more notably by generations Z (Centennials) and Millennials and seems to have been incorporated into their vocabulary during a movement analogous to what was seen in the USA after some time. from the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
There and soon afterwards here in Brazil, right in the midst of the unemployment crisis caused by the lockdown, people began to resign or, when not, began to adopt a posture passive and accommodated in their jobs, limiting themselves to doing the minimum necessary that the position required.
By doing only the basics for the company, without worrying about going beyond and/or doing the best way, or seek improvement, growth and even feedback regarding their results, the employee puts himself in a position of little interest on the part of the company in his maintenance in the position, culminating many times in his dismissal.
That is, without expressing himself clearly and literally, the employee silently shows his dissatisfaction with his professional occupation.
Quiet firing, like its correspondent from the employee’s point of view, is when the company creates an environment that is not very stimulating and sometimes not very favorable to performance of their functions by the employee.
This can be done in the most varied ways, such as assigning complex tasks and with higher levels of demand than those of their peers, or conversely, delegating monotonous things, repetitive and unimportant.
In short, the scenario experienced by the employee leads to feelings such as demotivation, oppression, exclusion, no future and no positive perspectives, creating an unsustainable climate, until there is no alternative
When did the terms quiet quitting and quiet firing appear?
As observed behaviors and situations, it is not you can say that they are new.
Since the beginning of employment relationships, both have existed. Only and perhaps to a lesser extent than today, especially in the case of quiet quitting.
As terms and gaining space of use in people’s speeches, with social networks and primarily among Reddit users. As is well known, words and expressions that are popular with these new generations quickly go viral and become popular.
But as we have already mentioned, this movement took shape in the midst of the pandemic, precisely when relationships and new ways of working had to take the place of traditional models.
This added to the fact that the quieting manifested itself in much higher rates precisely in the generations that lived the digital transformation and the Internet, which made it possible the home office, cultivate virtual relationships or in the digital environment, sometimes to the detriment of face-to-face relationships, are much more likely to break paradigms and because they are not attached to work, but to professional fulfillment and do not see themselves doing the same things for a lifetime, to some extent explain this type of behavior.
In other words, the pandemic only came to open wide their natural beliefs that consolidated and traditional models of work need to change to accommodate for new generations.
What’s behind quiet firing and quiet quitting?
Simply imagining that both must be accepted , just because to some degree they have always existed, it is not an adequate option.
It is not just a matter of admitting that the new generations, who are increasingly occupying the labor market, are and behave different from their peers and predecessors from other generations.
But from seeing how organizations are structured, what their culture, philosophy, vision and mission are like, after all for some companies it is even possible to hire still those that the models of the past were good for, but not for long.
In less than a decade, Generation X will be 50 years old or more and some in the process of retiring!
It is necessary to reflect on different variables that can influence the organizational environment to different degrees and how the insertion of new generations in the company should be carried out s:
- To what extent is the employee’s situation not a result of how leadership is given by part of the managers or even their absence of cohesive leadership principles and oriented to the human capital they have;
- In the same way that companies had to adapt to changes in the profile of consumers, they need to see that these changes also occurred with their employees and that they are also consumers. This ends up being reflected in incentive plans, reports and evaluations, training and capacity building programs, standard operating procedures and even job and salary programs;
- Immediate consequence of the item above, the perception of quality of life at work (QWL) is also different;
- Aspects that in the past were much more Marketing discourse, need to be real in the company’s daily life, such as innovation and permanent change, technology, appreciation of social responsibility, to name just the most common;
- Managers they need to be flexible and accept the need for change. Your people management practices need to evolve to new audiences;
- The role of the Resources department Humans gains even greater importance and, among other things, need to help change the organizational culture in accordance with new times;
- )Waiting and investing several or even a few years for a promotion or something that reflects professional recognition is certainly not an option for most of those who are part of these generations;
- There is no way to expect a set of hard and soft skills that were considered ideal 20 years ago – or even less – from these professionals . Instead, you need to know how to take advantage of the new arsenal of skills and talents that these generations offer;
- Failed or inefficient business communication. All levels suffer and the negative consequences are in direct proportion to their quality. Promoting its effectiveness necessarily involves, if not eliminating, reducing the abyss that exists and that separates different generations in communicative terms;
- Managers and entrepreneurs are completely wrong who, in supposing that the generations that live and interact through applications on the Internet and social networks, do not value the human aspect. On the contrary, and precisely for this reason, that social and environmental responsibility is even more important to them. Companies that effectively value the ESG agenda tend to attract them more.
In In other words, the employee’s quiet firing or silent dismissal is not something that occurs simply because it is the nature of new generations’ employees, or because they are lazy, or disinterested and unmotivated, but because the environment and working conditions “push” in that direction.
Why avoid quiet firing?
Neither of the two situations discussed so far is favourable, but the occurrence of quiet firing reveals even more severe consequences for the company.
First of all, it is necessary to make it clear that sometimes it is not part of the culture or it is not company policy to do so. It happens, as we have seen, due to the inability of its managers to manage the human capital at their disposal.
That is, the top management imagines that it will not happen, but is unaware that, given the lack of leadership skills, the favorable circumstances are created.
An employee who trusts his immediate manager is prone to believe that his actions are aimed at his well-being. But trust is something that is neither asked for nor imposed. It is the result of the manager’s actions. When it occurs in an organic way, it is said that it exercises leadership.
It is also necessary to be aware that the company needs to evolve according to the world, being or seeking the solutions that is expected in the society of which it is a part of and which involves safety, inclusion, ethics, education, income distribution, the principles of the ESG agenda, etc.
But when quiet firing is habitually and consciously inserted in the company’s practices, there is a more severe situation that can have even more critical consequences.
Let’s not forget that there are jurisprudence and understandings about it. The booklet on Prevention of Moral Harassment of the Superior Labor Court (TST) provides for a series of situations, such as exposure to humiliating and embarrassing situations in the work environment, as well as permanent reiteration, represents damage to the dignity and integrity of the individual and to physical and mental health.
In addition to these issues, there are other relevant ones:
- Inadequate situations and/or environment will be favorable and may also “contaminate” those who supposedly have the right profile, the most productive and most motivated. If other people see certain attitudes being taken against their peers or other collaborators, regardless of the hierarchical level they occupy, they will know that the same can apply at some point to themselves;
- Companies where quiet firing – but even quiet quitting – occurs tend to have high staff turnover, with known consequences negative, such as a drop in productivity, in the search for standards, in constant training, in costs and that even compromises the resumption of the economic activity of companies in the post-pandemic;
- Communication at all levels tends to deteriorate. It is important to remember that the precariousness of communication is often also a cause and, therefore, when this happens, the company enters a vicious circle;
- To curb and especially to move in the opposite direction of quiet firing, is to work towards a more positive organizational climate, with consistent gains and that approaches the much objectified employee who “wears the shirt of the company”;
- In addition to the mentality of its management, a company is also the result of people that help keep it up and running and that involve everyone, regardless of their hierarchical level or position in the organization chart.
This situation is just silent in name.
Actually, it is an eloquent warning of how urgent it is to rethink everything that is done, for what is done and what are the impacts on business continuity.
Time and the outdated view that by providing a job and a salary, the people will be subject to anything, see the numbers from the General Register of Employed and Unemployed (Caged), for which in the last 12 months, ending in July/2022, there were more than 6 million resignation requests among workers with a formal contract, representing about a third of total layoffs in the same period.
People are not simply and silently giving up or giving up their jobs, but looking for more than their parents expected from one, as a balance with your personal life and your ideals and convictions.
Last but not least, it is important to realize that despite the differences between the terms discussed, many times the causes are the same and that is why it is not possible to deal with just one or just the or in isolation. Seen in another way, they are two sides of the same problem.
Conclusion
Quiet firing and quietting, are two sides of the same coin, that, if not understood in its scope, can bring severe impacts to companies.
