Why is everyone so quiet? Quiet quitting and quiet firing are the latest post-covid workforce dynamic.

Don’t get trapped in a universal trap, but reframe your plan to avoid your employment mishaps.

In 2022, Gallup published two articles on employee disengagement, “Is Quiet Quitting Real” and ‘Quiet Firing, What Is It and How To Stop Doing It.’

Gallup studied that employees ‘quiet quitting’ makes up ‘50% of the workforce today.”  We are in the largest disengagement of our lifetime following the pandemic. We all believed we’d learn a collective lesson on purpose, passion, equity but the world has quickly shifted back to a hustle-or-else-pace. Research from ‘Is Quiet Quitting Real’ states  “the overall decline was especially related to clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and a connection to the organization's mission or purpose -- signaling a growing disconnect between employees and their employers. 

The second article, written in December 2022, shared a new twist on puling back at work. Employers are also taking a quiet approach. Gallup published several dark statistics about corporations ghosting their employees’ development through budget cuts, reduction in offerings and lack of communication on lack of support from the employer. “Only 37% of managers strongly agree that they invest in their employees' development, and even fewer employees (25%) strongly agree that their manager invests in their professional development.”

In both cases of ‘quieting’, you, the employee, are at risk.

Quietly quitting might feel like you are in control but it can have adverse impacts on your mood outside of work.  Rather than sinking in a work energy funk, showing up for exploratory coffee chats or interviews in a negative way, start communicating differently everywhere you go. You do not want to step off the career path you have been plotting for so long. 

We all know now that your physical, mental and emotional energy can negatively impact your next job.  Deciding to do less or be invited to fewer meetings as you are ‘quieted-upon’ can feel worthy of a victory lap. However, your resume sizzle will be gone as your energy dissipates, your projects flatten and you fall in the land of forgotten employees when it’s bonus time. 

Quiet Firing often brings on heightened frustration, further lack of engagement and being removed from projects or meetings you once attended. Gallup recognizes the need to  “routinely setting the right goals, adjusting them as needed and achieving the desired results is the foundation of an effective performance management strategy. Without this natural rhythm of work, employees quickly lose their ability to focus their efforts.”  It might be more subtle that quiet quitting, but it inevitably changes your work energy. Your reputation can turn on you.  

It’s rare to get a warm intro in your mid-career to an Executive Director hiring manager or recruiter if you are in the dumps.  Would you introduce a friend to a job lead or mentor if they complain about work? [I’ve been there]. Would you refer a colleague who has been removed from most projects to a new job? 

How do you change the narrative and gain control in a quieting culture?

I work with my clients specifically to create proactive Communication Plans to activate your career instead of sitting back to quietly quit or be quietly fired.  . 

In media training, moving from one narrative to the next is called bridging. If you are succumbing to work culture blues, restructure how and who you talk to about work.

Here are my top two tips for the anti-quiet employee on job hunt both internally or externally. 

1-Share your Smarts: Communicating any and all innovative ideas will  boost your confidence and networking charm.  

Your new problem solving creativity can come from reading industry articles, listening to podcasts or meeting with someone outside of your industry.  I often find inspiration in otherwise mundane places like my girls’ storybooks, old projects I ran, looking outside of my industry entirely.  If that’s too outside the box, keep reading any articles that pertain to your current role. This is a fantastic  way to ignite career optimism and it will always give you a one-up in interviews. 

Now: You are in a great place for a stellar job placement if you are the creative, well read problem solver.  Your colleagues and friends will be willing to share your name with their Uncle the COO if they know you are proactive and engaged.

In real life, this sounds like “have you seen the article about …” or “ I was listening to, it reminded me of [problem] and how my firm could [solution] reallocate resources to jumpstart our [project] marketing for our launch.  If I ran the team and had a budget at my next company I’d …”

2-Talk about your next role:  There are no secrets in the political environment of work cultures, just the way to do it properly.  Even when people say they have been tapped for every promotion in their lifetime, they have been self sourcing their next job. Great employees who moved up the ladder often have discussed their desires for ‘more’ with a LOT of people.  This can be done tactfully, at the right time and with the right audiences. 

In real life: At work, your kid’s sports games or in social settings use practiced phrases that make it clear what job or tasks in a job you want next.

If you know that you have been quietly quit by your manager or firm, take your ‘talk’ show on the road. Where do you have casual community interactions? Is it on the soccer sidelines, ski lifts, walking paths or on airplanes? Anywhere you feel the social settings allow, talk about your work passions and needs in your next role. “I am looking for a role running a team in operations. I’m transitioning away from x and into y to leverage my sales skills..’

Now: this might seem like overkill, it’s not. Although this can be casual (in hallways) or it can be formal (performance reviews), this should also be repeated often and with conviction.

Take control of your career, your own work resume and get the role you deserve.

If you are being or are quiet at work, email lynn@lynnmull.com to avoid more time out of the career game.