You may have heard about quiet hiring but have not yet noticed it. And not because it happens silently, but because you might not have imagined that such a thing was happening in the labor market.
Until now, we knew about phenomena such as quiet quitting, which leads many employees not to leave their jobs but to be involved in them only minimally. We also knew about quiet firing, according to which some companies value the well-being of their employees so little that they demotivate them by any means possible to get them to resign and save themselves the trouble.
Now we have to deal with a third issue that is not so easy to censure or criticize and that has nothing to do – at least not directly – with alleged malpractice on behalf of employees or employers.
On the contrary, quiet hiring has more to do with a personnel selection strategy aimed, in theory, at economizing resources and prioritizing the team already in place rather than expanding it in terms of workforce and complexity of the structure.
What do we mean by quiet hiring
The different waves of the economic crisis left by the pandemic, the collapse in the transportation of materials and supplies, and war conflicts are shaping a new system in which the acceleration of already existing trends within the workplace is booming.
Companies must adapt to this situation in which the challenge is no longer to decide between face-to-face or hybrid work formats but to deal with the consequences of the Great Resignation (in its different versions) and the new expectations and needs of employees.
Given this context, the phenomenon of quiet hiring is expected to be one of the tools to be taken into account within Human Resources departments during 2023, given the current characteristics of the labor market.
At least that’s what Emily Rose McRae, Senior Director at Gartner, a leading technology research and consulting firm, thinks.
This HR expert is keeping a close eye on quiet hiring. This is a hiring methodology whereby companies can expand their business without the need to hire, technically, new staff.
Two types of quiet hiring
She explains that companies may face a talent shortage when they need it most or the need to freeze their hiring policy so that they simplify it as much as possible or choose to solve their immediate needs by “dragging” the human resources they already have.
Basically, it is a matter of making simpler hires, not full-time or with a long-term commitment, or simply not hiring new team members but relocating existing employees or reconfiguring their roles to cover the needs that arise, even if their current positions are temporarily vacant.
The first option would be called external quiet hiring, while the second would be internal quiet hiring.
Quiet hiring beyond the play on words
To understand quiet hiring as a coping strategy that deals with decisions regarding the structure of the workforce, we have summarized it in five points.
1. Despite its name, quiet hiring does not always imply the actual hiring of new employees (especially in the case of internal quiet hiring). In fact, it is not silent in the strict sense either, but rather indirect.
2. It is a coping strategy that companies implement when they do not have sufficient “strength” in terms of economic or human resources. It is also a way of anticipating such adverse circumstances should they occur in the short term.
3. Quiet hiring has advantages but also carries risks for the work environment within the company or employee engagement if not properly contextualized.
4. Although it may seem new, this strategy is related to traditional recruitment methods that prioritize internal mobility or promotion rather than using resources to attract external candidates for a given position.
5. Quiet hiring can easily fit with specific professional profiles identified with the so-called knowmads or job hoppers, characterized by frequently changing jobs voluntarily without making a long-term commitment to a given company.
Protecting emotional well-being in organizations
At ifeel, we know how companies must adapt to each circumstance and achieve their objectives. The important thing is not so much whether or not they hire more staff but whether their approach to the organization of work contributes to the welfare of the people who have to do it.
That’s why we provide a global emotional well-being service for companies designed by our team of psychologists who are experts in well-being at work. This collaboration allows People, Talent, and Human Resources managers to receive personalized, data-driven advice on caring for the psychological well-being of the teams in charge.
Do you belong to the Human Resources department in your organization? Try our program now to see how it could help you.
In addition, our program offers all employees a complete mental health care service that includes emotional support and online therapy with one of our professionals.
Remember, you can find different materials in our Resources section, such as Podcasts, HR Guides on various topics (e.g., employee experience or how to design a good HR strategy), or Interviews with important HR positions. In addition, we have a Psychosocial Risk Factors Template, which you can use to comply with the requirements of the Labor Inspectorate.
We hope you found this post about quiet hiring interesting. If you would like more information about our emotional well-being program for companies, simply request it, and we will contact your team as soon as possible.
