The latest workplace buzzword is “quiet hiring,” a takeoff from the quiet quitting, quiet firing and scared productivity trends. Read on to learn what quiet hiring is and its implications for employees and employers alike.
What Is Quiet Hiring?
Quiet hiring happens when an employee takes on a new role and responsibilities within their same company, either temporarily or permanently, due to need. According to a new Monster survey conducted in January 2023, 80% of workers polled have been quiet hired, and half of them say their new role wasn’t aligned with their skill set.
But does quiet hiring help employees, or is it a career killer? Monster’s poll suggests the answer isn’t black-and-white. Many workers do see the benefits, with 63% viewing quiet hiring as an opportunity to try out a new role and gain new skills; however, 27% said they would consider quitting if they were quiet hired, and 4% would quit immediately.
A smaller number of workers, 19%, are open to taking on a new role, but only if it’s temporary, and 15% would consider leaving but not do so since their “hands are tied,” according to Monster’s poll.
Why Is Quiet Hiring Occurring?
Filling positional gaps with existing talent or contractors is nothing new, according to Rashim Mogha, general manager of leadership and business at Skillsoft, a corporate digital learning platform.
“It’s not a coincidence. Any time there is economic slowdown, we tend to see organizations either move current employees into new roles or leverage flex workforces rather than hiring new employees,” Mogha says.
While companies have been quiet hiring for years to fill talent gaps, Mogha notes, if it’s handled incorrectly, it can lead to many challenges including employee burnout and skills gaps.
How Should Companies Handle Quiet Hiring?
While the “why” behind quiet hiring is important, Mogha believes that it’s more critical for organizations to consider the “how.”
“How organizations go about this can make all the difference between it being mutually beneficial for employer and employee growth or leading to increased burnout, exacerbated skills gaps, and a frustrated workforce,” says Mogha. “The key is identifying areas of need, assessing existing skill sets and sharing equal ownership in decisions. Training and open communication must also be layered in every step of the way to set the employee up for success.”
Mogha notes that organizations looking to quietly hire or reassign employees to different positions must be transparent about what it means for the employees who step into the role and the organization. In particular, companies should create appropriate skills development programs to ensure that both employees and their managers possess what’s needed for employees to be successful in a new role.
How Does Quiet Hiring Affect Employee Engagement?
Vicki Salemi, a career expert at Monster, explains that quiet hiring can affect employee engagement in multiple ways. First, since nearly 70% view quiet hiring as an opportunity to try a new role and gain new skills, by “looking at the glass more than half full,” it can increase employee engagement.
However, since Monster’s research showed that some workers view quiet hiring as something they’re stuck with, quiet hiring can quickly tank both morale and engagement.
“Plus, considering 15% of workers are not open to quiet hiring since it’s not the role they signed up for, they may be disengaged because it’s not something they chose to pursue, not something that was in their career plan,” Salemi says.
As 50% of Monster’s poll respondents felt the new role wasn’t aligned with their skill set, these workers may feel less engaged as a result of this misalignment. “This could lead also to being mentally checked out,” Salemi says.
[Read: How to Ask for the Job at the Interview.]
Is Quiet Hiring Good or Bad for Employees and Employers?
Research shows that many employees are interested in learning and expanding their skill sets. Skillsoft discovered that a third of tech workers changed employers due to a lack of training, growth and development. In fact, Skillsoft found that 37% changed job roles because the new role presented a better use of skill sets and capabilities.
“Quiet hiring should be viewed as an opportunity for a win-win situation where employees are presented with room for growth and career development and employers are able to uncover ‘hidden’ skillsets and fill gaps while navigating economic challenges,” Mogha says.
Salemi agreed that quiet hiring is good for employees in several ways.
“First, if a company is considering laying off workers, it can temporarily assign them to another role so they retain their jobs while simultaneously learning new skills,” she says. Other ways that quiet hiring can be beneficial is by giving employees the opportunity to work with new colleagues and help them pivot to another area, which can help them gain new skills for external opportunities as well.
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However, quiet hiring has some potential pain points for employees, which can hurt employers, too.
“It can be bad when their workload isn’t being managed and they’re doing two full-time jobs at the same company instead of one,” Salemi says. “Additionally, it can be bad when workers aren’t compensated for additional roles and getting a ‘soft promotion,’ whereby it’s more responsibilities and they’re performing at levels among the next ‘rung’ in the organization, yet nothing has changed with their salary.”
When that happens, companies lose workers. It’s a lose-lose that shows the importance of employers continuing to keep compensation and retention, along with worker happiness, top of mind.
What About Pay?
With employees taking on more work outside of their skill set, one would assume that an increase in pay would ensue. But that may not always be the case.
“Quiet hiring may or may not come with an immediate raise or promotion, as it’s primarily viewed by employers as a way to quickly address priority needs in a cost-effective manner,” Mogha says. However, she stressed that it can — and should — lead to opportunities for employees to negotiate.
In many instances, the pay issue depends on the company.
“Sometimes the implication is that it’s without pay raises or promotions and if that’s the case, it’s an opportunity for the employee to talk to their boss about a proper raise or bonuses if a raise isn’t in the short-term plan,” she says. “And then, of course, leverage those new skills to get properly compensated externally.”
Quiet hiring can ultimately lead to pay raises and promotions in some companies, depending on budget issues, says Salemi, “because if someone’s being asked to take on additional responsibilities, in particular at higher levels, then they’re adding more value to the organization. Employers definitely don’t want to lose top talent.”
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What Is Quiet Hiring? originally appeared on usnews.com
