A few weeks ago I published an article on my Medium page and here on The Side Hustle University titled, “Quiet Quitting — An Employee’s Perspective.” If you have not read it yet, please check it out. I have received some valuable feedback from fellow writers and readers about it and would love any feedback. Your input and feedback will help me refine and master my writing technique which I hope will increase the satisfaction of my readers and followers and provide them with more value and content.
Now I am back with the sequel to that article. This time I will be addressing “Quiet Hiring.” It appears that employers are now fighting back against employees with this new technique, and to me personally I find it insulting. It is like a protest to my protest, and it is being done really because they can. But is this actually a problem, or is this something that employees can use to their advantage?
In today’s day and age, companies are feeling the effects of many economical factors. This in turn has led to many layoffs and a hiring freeze. Yes, there is evidence of unemployment numbers falling, but there are still many people out there looking for work. In the meantime what happens is that company’s become overloaded with work and cannot keep up. This is where “Quiet Hiring” comes in. What YOU must understand is that taking on all these new responsibilities and tasks is a significant responsibility that requires you to perform at a high level to ensure the smooth functioning of the organization.
What is “Quiet Hiring”
“Quiet hiring” is when an organization acquires new skills and talent without actually hiring new full-time employees,” according to Emily Rose McRae, Sr. Director of Research at Gartner, which is a leading technology research and consulting firm. Simply put, this is the employer’s way of taking existing employees and piling on much more work on them, finding new ways to get work done, without having to hire new full-time talent. It’s kind of like being promoted, without being promoted. Personally, I cannot see how this doesn’t lead to more employees becoming increasingly frustrated and overworked, and then “Quiet Quitting” anyway. Seems like this has just become a cycle of finger pointing. We need to all stop defending companies and employers playing these dirty games – YOU are the one who is losing.
Why is “Quiet Hiring” a Problem?
There are many perspectives that we can look at this. I will admit in some way this can be a good thing for employees like me and you. We are hard workers, we are the ones always willing to give extra. But the world is not going to be nice to you just because you are a nice person. My take on this is that it benefits the employer more than the employee. By “Quiet hiring” they not only save money by not having to hire new talent and employees, but they also find a way to have work completed by existing ones. Seems like this will just compound the problem to me.
If employees were “Quiet Quitting” in protest of being overworked, underpaid, and undervalued, how would overworking, underpaying, and mistreating employees fix this? An employee “Quiet Quit” as a result of being overwhelmed, so I am not sure how an employer can see loading up more work onto an individual be an answer to this. If anything this just highlights, even more, the ruthlessness of employers.
I would like to point out that I am not a person who is against hard work. What I am against though is not compensating someone for their hard work. As I did mention in my Quiet Quitting article, employees should go to work each and every day and try and put forth their best effort, always. I am a huge believer in hard work and earning your pay from the swear off your brow, but like everything else, there are limits to that, and employees are now starting to draw that line. Imagine handling all these new responsibilities and tasks only to find out that once the company feels it has enough money, it will hire someone to replace you anyway.
According to an article written by Sawdah Bhaimiya for the Business Insider (Click for the link to the article), an engineer who worked for Google for over 16 years was laid off after he found that his account had been deactivated. So he did all this work for one of the biggest and most successful companies and was rewarded with the loss of his job. Justin Moore who was an engineering manager at Google states, “This also just drives home that work is not your life, and employers see you as 100% disposable.”
The reality is that most companies and organizations would not think twice about replacing you if they had to. What is important to them is the bottom line and that is how much money they are making.
“Quiet Hiring” As a Business Owner Myself
Being a business owner myself, I will admit, yes the bottom line is something that I pay attention to with great detail. BUT, and that is an extremely emphasized BUT, I would never do something like this to anyone working for me. Being someone who was on the other side of this, I couldn’t live with myself doing this to any one of my employees.
The attractive thing about “Quiet Hiring” to me is the fact that you are maximizing the output using the existing tools you have. As a Mechanical Engineer with close to 20 years of working experience, and also as a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt in Lean Manufacturing principles, “Quiet Hiring” makes complete sense to me and is something that I would personally be pushing my current clients to do. BUT, and again this is a huge BUT, I advise them to do it with some sense and caution. So before anyone calls me a hypocrite, I just wanted to put that out there. Although I agree with the idea of “Quiet Hiring” I still wouldn’t do it the way that many companies are doing it today.
How to handle being “Quiet Hired”
Quiet Hiring is something companies have been doing for a very long time. It is only now getting the attention it deserves to get because of the climate out there in the workforce. I can only speak from my personal experience. Still, I find that this is a common scenario where employees are tasked with taking on additional responsibilities outside of their job description and it is sometimes even forced. It is a different story though when your boss gives you his tasks and responsibilities. This is more than just someone trying to take advantage of you, so let’s not defend this behavior.
This can be a confusing and overwhelming experience, and it raises many questions about your boss’s intentions and the future of your own job. Showing up to work every day feeling as if you will be fired is a terrible feeling. It is, however, a reality for some people whether they want to admit it or not, and I do understand it is something none of us have control over.
It is also important to consider the implications of taking on these new responsibilities as well. If this is a place that is notorious for overworking its employees, you need to be careful. This week, they may load you with one additional project, then next week it’s 3, then the week after it’s 8, and so on. They will continue pushing you and seeing what they can get away with. You should be asking whether or not you will be receiving a promotion or additional compensation for the added responsibilities. Will this affect your future opportunities within the company? These are just some of the questions that should be addressed with your boss as soon as possible to ensure that you are properly compensated for your additional duties.
Another thing to consider when being Quiet Hired is that this could actually be your ticket out of there. Look, if you are already overworked and unhappy at your job, taking on new responsibilities will not change anything. Speaking from experience, I have worked with many people who were unhappy with their jobs and decided to leave and pursue opportunities elsewhere. The thing is, our employer didn’t let them leave and ended up promising them “managerial” positions to keep them happy. Little did my coworkers know that taking on a managerial position meant they would no longer be eligible to be paid overtime.
A study conducted by Harvard University and the University of Texas-Dallas found that employers are “exploiting a loophole in the Federal Labor Law that says businesses are not required to pay overtime to salaried managers who make more than $455 per week or $23,660 per year. They also found that employers are using fake managerial titles to avoid potential labor law violations.” That is some shady stuff man. So the next time you are offered a promotion to some kind of title that you never heard of before, think twice. Paid overtime was brought on to discourage employers from overworking their employees. Now they have not only discovered a loophole in this but they are exploiting it. I have digressed a little here, but let me continue.
The way I see it is that employers are going to do this no matter what, so we kind of have to accept it. But, we can accept it and use it to our advantage. If I was once again working at a place where I was being Quiet Hired, I would reluctantly accept. Then, I would take all the training to learn these new skills, and I would master them. I would then ADD IT TO MY RESUME and look for work elsewhere. Look, if you are not going to pay me for the work that I am doing for you, I will go find someone who IS willing to pay me for the work I am doing for them. When I was working and was Quiet Hired, this is exactly what I did. I learned all kinds of new skills, and new software, and basically took on the role of a director. With all those skills learned, and my employer refused to compensate me for them and all the work I do, I went and found another job at a company that was willing to pay me for my work. It was a huge raise, almost double what I was making before. This is what I would suggest to anyone handling this situation. Play the game the way the employer is playing the game. Stay one step ahead, always.
Finally, it is crucial to remember that taking on any new tasks and responsibilities is an opportunity to demonstrate your value and capabilities as an employee. By performing well in this new role, you can show your boss and the rest of the organization that you are capable of taking on additional responsibilities and that you are a valuable asset to the company. If and when you decide to leave, they will realize how much you did for them. It is a victory that you will never regret, and a loss they will never forget.
The TL;DR
In conclusion, “Quiet Hiring” is a growing trend in the workforce, and actually one of the top employment trends of 2023, that presents a challenge for both employees and employers. On one hand, it allows companies to acquire new skills and talent without having to hire new full-time employees and new talent, thus saving money and getting more work done. On the other hand, this practice can lead to overworked, underpaid, and frustrated employees who feel mistreated and undervalued. Moreover, employees are not always compensated for the extra work they take on, which can lead to resentment and “Quiet Quitting.” As we have seen in the case of the engineer who worked for Google for over 16 years, companies will not think twice about replacing their employees if they had to, and employees are becoming increasingly aware of this reality.
In light of this, it is important for employees to handle “Quiet Hiring” wisely and make informed decisions about taking on additional responsibilities. This could include negotiating for fair compensation, setting clear boundaries, and seeking support from colleagues and superiors. For employers, it is crucial to be transparent about expectations, offers fair compensation for extra work, and provide adequate support to employees. By doing so, both parties can work together to create a positive and productive work environment.
At the end of the day, “Quiet Hiring” is just one aspect of the ever-evolving workforce and it is up to both employees and employers to navigate it together, peacefully and in a way that benefits both parties. The key is to be highly informed about both sides of the argument, communicate effectively with one another, and strive for a fair and mutually beneficial arrangement.
What do you think? Am I wrong here? Please comment on this article and let’s discuss it. I am always willing to admit my faults. I believe that will help me grow. Maybe there is something I am overlooking and unaware of that one of you will point out.
The goal is to get the conversation started. This is probably the most impactful way of creating the change we all want to see.
To your success,
I love you all and wish you all nothing but success.
To your success,
