In the post-pandemic employment landscape, buzzwords containing the word ‘quiet’ are all the rage.
First, there was ‘quiet quitting,’ which referred to burned-out employees refusing to do more work above the bare minimum.
This prompted employers to create the term and practice of ‘quiet firing,’ wherein they make such a hostile work environment that it encourages an employee to quit.
The latest ‘quiet’ buzzword to take over the human resources world is quiet hiring, a process where an organization gains new skills without hiring new full-time employees.
Often, employers don’t give a title change with the additional work.
This is where the ‘quiet’ aspect comes in, as the organization doesn’t advertise a new position or technically promote internal talent.
How prevalent is quiet hiring?
Surprisingly, quiet hiring has become an extremely prevalent workplace trend lately. A Monster poll found that 80% of workers they surveyed were quietly hired.
While the practice provides undeniable benefits for employers, employee reception to quiet hiring has been mixed.
In this article, I’ll break down the basics of quiet hiring, its benefits, and if it’s worth implementing at your organization – so stick around.
What is quiet hiring?
Formally defined by Emily Rose McRae (senior director of research at Gartner), quiet hiring is when a current employee takes on additional roles at their organization without technically receiving a promotion.
This means the employer doesn’t have to create a new position or onboard new talent.
Organizations use quiet hiring whenever the need for new skills or capabilities emerges, such as the ability to use AI and automation programs.
For example, your company needs someone to design and test prompts for AI systems like chatbots and virtual assistants.
You take one of your existing computer engineers. You train them on how to be an AI prompter.
As a result, you add AI prompting to their responsibilities, but their job role stays the same.
You agree to a slight pay increase since you’re adding to their workload.
That’s an example of quiet hiring, and when used ethically, it can be a true win-win for both employers and employees.
However, the practice is far from perfect, and employee perception surrounding it isn’t all positive.
Let’s briefly circle back to the Monster poll about quiet hiring.
In it, roughly more than a quarter of the workers polled (27%) said they’d consider quitting if they were quiet hired. 4% went so far as to say they’d leave immediately if their employer tried to add new responsibilities to their role.
Other findings from the poll include:
27% reported they’d worry if their company was going out of business if they were quiet hired. This fear isn’t unfounded, as trying to add new tasks to existing roles instead of hiring new talent could be a sign that a company is struggling financially.
63% of workers view quiet quitting as a way to learn new skills. This shows that employee perception of the practice isn’t entirely negative. Also, quiet hiring can pave the way for new opportunities like promotions in the future.
16% of employees reported they wouldn’t quit if they were quiet hired, but only if the new responsibilities were short-term.
15% said they wouldn’t quit, but only because their ‘hands are tied.’ This shows that while some employees won’t quit due to quiet hiring, it can negatively impact their engagement and productivity.
Why has quiet hiring gained prominence recently?
Quiet hiring’s meteoric rise to fame is bound to have some human resource professionals scratching their heads, but there are several reasons for it.
The main reasons quiet hiring took off include:
There’s currently an extremely competitive job market since top talent is scarce. Skilled workers demand high salaries and flexible schedules to achieve an optimal work-life balance, and organizations may struggle to meet these demands.
The rise of freelancers and gig workers means there’s an abundance of short-term contractors willing to complete skilled work without requiring the costs associated with hiring full-time employees in-house (i.e., salaries, benefits, etc.).
A massive skills gap currently affects the global workplace, meaning upskilling is already a requirement for many job roles.
Rapidly evolving technologies like automation and AI create new skill sets that employees must master to do their jobs properly. Not every new skill justifies creating a brand-new position.
A tight economy pressures employers to keep costs low. Quiet hiring is more cost-effective than onboarding new employees.
Combining all these factors makes it no wonder that quiet hiring has become as prevalent as it has.
The recruitment process is callous considering A) the demands of modern employees (flexible schedules, high salaries, etc.) and B) the lack of skilled labor currently available.
For these reasons, many employers prefer to add new responsibilities to existing job descriptions instead of creating a new job position.
Also, the average half-life for career skills has shrunk considerably recently.
According to the World Economic Forum, the average 30-year lifespan for career skills has dropped to an average of only six years.
If an employee learns a new skill today, they will need a refresher course within six short years—or it may become completely irrelevant.
The rapid rise of AI has led many companies to ‘quiet hire’ certain positions. They add AI-related skills to their job descriptions. Employees are expected to learn how to prompt AI programs and check the quality of their outputs. They didn’t have to do this just a few years ago.
What are the benefits of quiet hiring for employers?
On the employer side, quiet hiring presents many benefits, such as cost savings, stronger employee retention, and increased flexibility.
These benefits contributed to the prevalence of quiet hiring, but the process isn’t without its critics.
As stated before, some employees view quiet hiring as grounds for quitting immediately, which can negatively impact employers.
However, in most cases, the benefits outweigh the risks.
Is quiet hiring worth implementing at your organization?
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits so that you can make an informed decision.
It’s a way to fill ever-widening skills gaps
I’ve already mentioned the massive skills gap facing the global employment landscape, but it’s worth repeating.
Research shows that 87% of companies worldwide either have a skills gap or will face one soon. Moreover, skilled workers are retiring at a rate faster than younger workers can replace them.
Over the next decade, one-third of skilled trades professionals will retire faster than younger workers enter the market to replace them.
This is another reason quiet hiring is taking off; employers have no other choice.
Since skilled talent is hard to acquire, upskilling existing employees is the next best thing.
Besides adding new responsibilities to current employees, another form of quiet hiring is to use freelancers instead of onboarding new hires.
This helps employers get the skilled work they need without having to hunt down top talent to hire for full-time positions.
With a combination of upskilling and using short-term contractors, employers can fight back against the growing skills gap.
Quiet hiring is extremely cost-effective
Staffing comes at a high price for every organization, regardless of industry. Most companies can expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 to $20,000 to hire just one employee.
No matter how you cut it, hiring new employees is always ridiculously expensive.
First, the costs are involved with recruiting, onboarding, and training.
After that, you’ve got salaries and benefits to provide.
Compare all those expenses to just adding new responsibilities to an existing position. Even if you give that employee a sizable pay raise for taking on the extra work, it pales compared to the costs of hiring new talent.
When you combine quiet hiring’s cost-effectiveness with the scarcity of skilled talent, it becomes clear that the practice will play a significant role in the future of work.
When done right, it can boost employee engagement and retention
Upskilling employees can have positive impacts on both employees and employers.
On the employee side, it aids their career growth and professional development. They learn new skills and take on additional responsibilities.
Also, you allow your employees to learn new skills and get promoted from within. They are more likely to stay with the company longer.
Remember, the Monster poll found that 63% of employees were open to quiet hiring since it allowed them to learn new skills.
This means that whenever you discuss quiet hiring with your employees, you should frame it as a way for them to advance their careers.
How can employees also benefit from quiet hiring?
Let’s examine the employee side to learn how they can benefit from quiet hiring.
When done correctly, quiet hiring can be a win-win for employees and employers.
However, employees should remain vigilant for the following red flags:
Adding more responsibilities and tasks than you can realistically manage
Your employer expects you to increase your workload without providing any additional benefit
Your employer is trying to transition you to a role you have no interest in
These are all signs you should either A) talk to your employer to renegotiate new terms or B) consider looking for employment elsewhere.
Red flags aside, here are a few ways employees can benefit from the quiet hiring process.
Request roles and responsibilities that interest you
Consider your current career path and ask yourself, “Are there any new skills I need to learn to advance my career?”
If there are, compile them into a list.
Should your employer ask if you’re interested in new responsibilities, mention the skills from your list (or the role you hope to promote).
Doing so will signal to your employer that you’re intrigued by the role, which can lead to future promotions.
Negotiate for different types of benefits
Ideally, you should receive a pay bump whenever you accept new tasks and responsibilities for your current position.
Yet, raises in pay aren’t always feasible for specific organizations, but that doesn’t mean you have to accept a heftier workload without some benefit.
If more pay is off the table, you could also request perks like:
A hybrid working schedule
Free use of company facilities
Additional paid time off
Stock options
Company car
As long as you receive some compensation for your extra effort, quiet hiring can work for employees just as much as employers.
Concluding thoughts: Quiet hiring in the modern workplace
Quiet hiring is a workplace trend. Employers add new responsibilities to current roles. They do not onboard new employees.
Working with freelancers and short-term contractors is another way to quiet hire for a position.
When done correctly, quiet hiring can benefit organizations and employees, but it’s important to remain cautious.
You do not want to overload an employee with too much work. This could cause them to leave your organization. It could also harm your reputation as an employer.
More Resources:
Skill gap analysis template: Build a customized tool for your team
Digital age workplace: Why soft skills matter more than ever
Talent shortage: Addressing the growing gap in the workplace
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