The Ethics of Quiet Quitting/Quiet Firing

It’s the “Quiet”, not the “Quitting” that’s the problem.

There is a lot of buzz these days about Quiet Quitting from employees and Quiet Firing from employers.??Both sides are right and both sides are wrong.

What’s right about quiet quitting: If you use the definition that quiet quitting means doing only exactly what your job description entails and nothing more, then there should be no controversy; it is simply a matter of honoring an agreement. It just makes sense that an employee wants to do the job and work the hours that they agreed to when they were hired. It’s really hard to argue that employees must be willing to stay late or carry a double workload on a regular basis or for an extended period of time. For example, jumping in to help out to help an employer solve a short-term problem is just being a good human. Asking an employee to do the job of two people?for an extended period of time?because the employer hasn’t filled an open position is unreasonable.

Here at Cambridge, we hear every single day from employees who are looking to change jobs because they are carrying a much heavier load than they signed on for. They are feeling stressed, unappreciated, and a bit betrayed by their employers.

Quiet quitting is not the answer.

If an employee is so overburdened and unhappy that they can’t continue, then they have two ethical choices. One is to find a new job; the second is to be direct and clear with their boss and let him/her know that they are unable to take on the extra tasks they have been assigned. It would look something like this:

“Matt, I love my job, and I hope to continue to work here for a long time. That said, I want to stick with our original agreement about what my responsibilities would be. When I started, we agreed that I would do X; however, for the past year, I have been expected to do Y and Z as well. I don’t want the quality of my work to suffer and I don’t want to hurt my health or my family over my job. How can we get back to where I can do great work for you within the range of??responsibilities that we agreed to?”

This is not quiet quitting… it is direct and open quitting—at least quitting the parts of the role that you didn’t sign up for.

If the boss agrees to honor the original agreement and pulls back on the workload, then the employee needs to give 100% commitment to the job they have agreed to do.

If the boss won’t or can’t listen and make the necessary changes then the employee should look for something else.??Staying and pretending to put in extra hours, or letting responsibilities slide while they continue to collect their paycheck is not the answer. Being upfront prevents the employer from losing revenue as a result of uncompleted tasks.

The same is true of quiet firing:

Unfortunately, in our line of work, we see a lot of this. An employer knows that they don’t see enough future (or current) potential in an employee. Quietly, they withdraw opportunities from employees, excluding them from meetings and decisions, while surreptitiously hunting for a replacement long before the employee realizes their job is in danger. The solution to this is the same as above—an honest straightforward conversation with the employee. Something like:???

“Amy, we aren’t seeing enough of a contribution from you, if things don’t change, we will need to make a change”, or “We don’t see a future for you here, I would recommend you begin looking outside of our company for a job that is a better fit for you.”

This is fair to the employee and can prevent them from the damage of lost income.

To protect your own self-respect and professional reputation, avoid any actions in the workplace that need to be hidden or disguised. In your job-- as in life--direct, honest communication is the ideal to strive for.

-Jennifer Graham, Principal