What Is Quiet Firing? Why Workers Say They’re Being Pushed Out Without Being Fired

Mumbai, January 4: In recent years, the corporate conversation has focused on quiet quitting, but a more manager-driven trend is gaining traction: quiet firing. Unlike formal terminations or structured performance improvement plans, quiet firing relies on subtle pressure to push employees toward resigning on their own. Once a social media buzzword, it is now increasingly cited in industry discussions as an informal - and controversial - exit strategy.

What Is Quiet Firing?

Quiet firing is a workplace practice where an employee is not directly dismissed but is slowly sidelined until their role becomes untenable. Instead of clear feedback or documented performance actions, managers withdraw support, visibility, and opportunities, creating a “slow fade” from meaningful work. ‘No One Is Fired’: HR Accidentally Sends Termination Email to All 300 Employees Including CEO While Testing Automatic Off-Boarding Tool; Apologises Later for Layoffs Notice.

Common signs include exclusion from key meetings, reassignment of responsibilities without explanation, lack of feedback, and the disappearance of career development conversations. Employees may remain on payroll while effectively being removed from the organisation core workflow. ‘No One Was Fired’: YesMadam Denies Termination of ‘Stressed’ Employees, Says Social Media Posts Were ‘Planned Effort’ To Highlight Workplace Stress.

How Quiet Firing Typically Plays Out

The process is rarely abrupt. It often begins with reduced communication and delayed responses, followed by fewer assignments and diminished access to decision-makers. Over time, the employee may feel professionally stagnant - present in name but absent in impact - prompting them to seek opportunities elsewhere.

Why Quiet Firing Is on the Rise

Remote and hybrid work environments have made disengagement easier to conceal. In distributed teams, silence can replace confrontation, allowing managers to avoid difficult conversations. Economic pressures also contribute: formal layoffs involve legal risk, documentation, and severance, while quiet firing shifts the burden of exit onto the employee.

The Impact on Employees and Workplace Culture

For individuals, quiet firing can be psychologically damaging, fostering self-doubt and prolonged uncertainty due to the lack of clarity or closure. For organisations, the effects ripple outward. Witnessing colleagues being quietly erased undermines trust, erodes psychological safety, and signals a culture that avoids accountability, ultimately harming retention and employer reputation.

Why Quiet Firing Signals a Leadership Failure

Management experts argue that quiet firing reflects poor leadership, not strategic management. Effective organizations address performance issues through transparency, feedback, and clear expectations. Using ambiguity to force exits avoids responsibility and contradicts stated values around ethics and employee well-being.

As conversations about ethical leadership and healthy workplace practices evolve, quiet firing remains a stark reminder of how exits are sometimes managed in the shadows. Addressing it requires courage from leaders, choosing honest dialogue over silent exclusion, to build workplaces grounded in trust, clarity, and accountability.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 04, 2026 07:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).