Is Quiet Hiring the Fix for Quiet Quitting?

Quiet Quitting. Bare Minimum Mondays. These and similar terms reflect the practices of disengaged, unmotivated employees. They are signs that employees are unhappy to be at work and may be actively looking for new opportunities without letting their current employers know. This trend can be troubling for businesses, as they risk losing valuable employees who might have been productive contributors to their teams.

To prevent this disengagement, companies must invest in their employees by offering opportunities for professional advancement. By doing so, they demonstrate a commitment to their employees' growth and foster a culture of learning and development. Such investment can be in the form of training programs, mentorship, or career expansion opportunities, which can help employees feel more engaged and motivated to excel in their current roles.

One effective way to invest in employee development is through programs that teach in-demand skills that match the current and future needs of the organization. This can include training on new technologies, software, or other relevant areas that can help employees stay relevant and valuable in their roles. Companies can also encourage employees to attend industry conferences or participate in professional organizations, helping them build professional networks while staying up to date with the latest trends in their fields.

As employees become more skilled, they may also become more attractive to other employers through the process of "quiet hiring." Quiet hiring is when companies bring employees into specific new roles without publicly announcing the position or conducting formal interviews. Instead, hiring managers may reach out to employees directly, offering them a job based on their experience and reputation. Or they might simply reassign them from one group to another, such as when the second group has a higher need for that job role than the first group.

Quiet hiring is a somewhat natural result in a labor shortage, but it can also be more efficient, especially when roles might take a particularly long time to fill. Note, however, that this approach may limit the diversity of the candidate pool and may not always lead to the best hires.

Still, disaffected workers who may feel they’re stuck in a dead end may find new motivation upon learning that their company has (perhaps even encourages) a quiet hiring practice. New skills training opportunities may be perceived less as pointless drudgery and more as a path forward, or at least as a means to something new and more interesting. Meanwhile, the company has its needed positions filled without the complexities of onboarding new people.

Rey Ramirez is co-founder at Thrive HR Consulting, a minority-owned HR advisory that provides value-based HR support for mergers and acquisitions, C-Suite executive coaching, employee relations, DEI and belonging, performance management, employee engagement, and talent acquisition.