By — Casey Kuhn Casey Kuhn By — Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/what-managers-need-to-know-about-quiet-firing Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter What managers need to know about quiet firing Nation Nov 30, 2022 10:57 AM EDT The pandemic shifted nearly every part of our lives — including workplace dynamics. Some workers feel empowered by the changes, such as with the rise of hybrid working arrangements; others left their jobs or transitioned to new careers as part of what’s been dubbed the Great Resignation. Meanwhile, the recent discussion around “quiet quitting” has sparked conversations about its inverse: “quiet firing.” Watch the conversation in the player above. “When you talk to [a] manager about [quiet firing], you will find, often, they are unaware of their behaviors,” Shelton Goode, CEO of workplace equity consulting company Icarus Consulting, said in a conversation with the PBS NewsHour in October. “The intent is different than the actual impact.” In contrast to quiet quitting, defined by some as an employee pulling back from extra job duties, quiet firing is when a manager assigns an employee fewer responsibilities or otherwise neglects them in a passive attempt to get the employee to quit. Goode said there are many ways a manager can stop engaging in quiet firing, especially if they hadn’t intended to be doing it. “Most of the time, someone has to bring it to their attention” that they are edging someone out, he said. “And then someone has to monitor and hold them accountable for doing something different and better and more positive.” Goode said a manager shouldn’t wait for formal reviews to check in with employees, but rather should make a habit of going to their team members and asking how they can help — including those who may not be their favorite employees. “The people that are quietly fired are the people that tend to be the least like us,” he said. “They’re the employee that makes you want to roll your eyes or make your blood boil. … Those are the people that you should be intentionally working overtime to build relationships with and check in on them, get their feedback, making sure that they have what they need to do the best job.” WATCH: AOL founder Steve Case on the surprising entrepreneurs reimagining the economic landscape Finally, Goode said that there are three soft skills he recommends managers work on: empathy, listening and engaging in tough conversations. “You’ve got to be more comfortable with being uncomfortable about some of the things that [an employee] wants to talk about.” We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Casey Kuhn Casey Kuhn Casey is a producer for NewsHour's digital video team. She has won several awards for her work in broadcast journalism, including a national Edward R. Murrow award. @caseyatthedesk By — Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis Nicole Ellis is PBS NewsHour's digital anchor where she hosts pre- and post-shows and breaking news live streams on digital platforms and serves as a correspondent for the nightly broadcast. Ellis joined the NewsHour from The Washington Post, where she was an Emmy nominated on-air reporter and anchor covering social issues and breaking news. In this role, she hosted, produced, and directed original documentaries and breaking news videos for The Post’s website, YouTube, Amazon Prime, Facebook and Twitch, earning a National Outstanding Breaking News Emmy Nomination for her coverage of Hurricane Harvey in 2017. Ellis created and hosted The Post’s first original documentary series, “Should I freeze my eggs?,” in which she explores her own fertility and received the 2019 Digiday Publishers Award. She also created and hosted the Webby Award-winning news literacy series “The New Normal,” the most viewed video series in the history of The Washington Post’s women’s vertical, The Lily. She is the author of “We Go High,” a non-fiction self-help-by-proxy book on overcoming adversity publishing in 2022, and host of Critical Conversations on BookClub, an author-led book club platform. Prior to that, Ellis was a part of the production team for the Peabody and Emmy Award-winning series, CNN Heroes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and Human Rights from Columbia University, as well as a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School.
The pandemic shifted nearly every part of our lives — including workplace dynamics. Some workers feel empowered by the changes, such as with the rise of hybrid working arrangements; others left their jobs or transitioned to new careers as part of what’s been dubbed the Great Resignation. Meanwhile, the recent discussion around “quiet quitting” has sparked conversations about its inverse: “quiet firing.” Watch the conversation in the player above. “When you talk to [a] manager about [quiet firing], you will find, often, they are unaware of their behaviors,” Shelton Goode, CEO of workplace equity consulting company Icarus Consulting, said in a conversation with the PBS NewsHour in October. “The intent is different than the actual impact.” In contrast to quiet quitting, defined by some as an employee pulling back from extra job duties, quiet firing is when a manager assigns an employee fewer responsibilities or otherwise neglects them in a passive attempt to get the employee to quit. Goode said there are many ways a manager can stop engaging in quiet firing, especially if they hadn’t intended to be doing it. “Most of the time, someone has to bring it to their attention” that they are edging someone out, he said. “And then someone has to monitor and hold them accountable for doing something different and better and more positive.” Goode said a manager shouldn’t wait for formal reviews to check in with employees, but rather should make a habit of going to their team members and asking how they can help — including those who may not be their favorite employees. “The people that are quietly fired are the people that tend to be the least like us,” he said. “They’re the employee that makes you want to roll your eyes or make your blood boil. … Those are the people that you should be intentionally working overtime to build relationships with and check in on them, get their feedback, making sure that they have what they need to do the best job.” WATCH: AOL founder Steve Case on the surprising entrepreneurs reimagining the economic landscape Finally, Goode said that there are three soft skills he recommends managers work on: empathy, listening and engaging in tough conversations. “You’ve got to be more comfortable with being uncomfortable about some of the things that [an employee] wants to talk about.” We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now