You've Heard of Quiet Quitting. Meet Its New Rival: Quiet Hiring.

Companies across the board are having a rough start to 2023. Including mass layoffs amid an incoming recession. To help set themselves up for an easier year, some businesses are leaning into a new workplace trend: Quiet hiring. It’s how they’re meeting their hiring needs and goals — without actually acquiring new talent. So if you've been given extra work or pulled into new meetings lately, you could be part of the quiet hiring trend...without even knowing it. 

What is quiet hiring?

Quiet hiring is a strategy companies are using to fill in gaps at the company without hiring new full-time employees. It can mean hiring temporary contractors — but for the most part, it means giving current employees more responsibilities beyond their job description. So yeah, you could say it’s the opposite of quiet quitting (doing exactly what your job requires, no more, no less). The catch? It usually doesn’t come with a promotion or pay increase right away (but it could happen down the line). 

Why is quiet hiring happening?

Quiet hiring isn’t an entirely new concept. But given the state of the economy and ongoing talent shortage, companies are making it more popular. Think of it as a time-saving and cost-cutting method: Instead of going through lengthy interview processes to hire new talent, companies are using their current workers to help the company gain new skill sets, reach goals, or address certain needs. And they’re framing quiet hiring as a way for employees to further their career and demonstrate skills that can lead to future promotions or raises. But some employees aren’t on board.  

This feels familiar. What should I do if quiet hiring is happening to me?

Even though it may feel like quiet hiring is mainly a pro for companies, there are some ways you can leverage it for your own benefit…

• Talk to your manager about a promotion or raise. Especially if you’re taking on more work than usual. 

• Don’t forget your own professional goals: Ask how the new responsibilities will help you work toward them and your career development. 

• Keep tabs on your work-life balance. Meaning, speak up if your plate is just too full and you’re feeling burnt out.

• If all else fails and you’re not happy with the way things are going, it may be time to update that resume and start a new job search.

theSkimm

Everyone is trying to do what they can to get through the economy right now. For companies, that means asking their employees to take on more responsibility than usual. If you think it might happen to you, don’t forget that there are ways to use it to your advantage.