LISTEN TO EPISODE 114

SCOTT DOW: 

"So quiet quitting is a problem, but so is "quiet firing". It's a passive-aggressive way to get somebody to quit, and it's a horrible management practice.

Here's how it works: You realize you made a bad hire, or maybe you inherited a bad hire, so you'd rather they just go away. But now you've got to get HR involved. You've got to document your counseling sessions and put them on a performance plan. And you don't have time for all that.

So what do you do? You start sending subtle little messages.

• You're less approachable.
• You're more demanding.
• You stop giving feedback.
• And you're not as encouraging.
• You're slower to respond.
• You don't coach as much, and you give them less of your time.

That's what quiet firing is. You want them to quit because it lets you off the hook. And if you do it once, you'll do it again. But it's a shortcut that will bite you in the ass.

Say you decide to quietly fire a quiet quitter. They're not worried about your subtle hints. You're just prolonging the inevitable and buying them more time. Their co-workers are watching you too, and they'll never be able to trust a boss - meaning you - that might quietly fire them.

When you do get HR involved, they're going to do their job. And if you've been quietly firing someone, they may become more concerned about your performance than your employees.

So, hold yourself to a higher standard. Take the high road. Your performance will improve. Their performance will improve. And if it doesn't, work with HR to exit them from the business."

OUTRO 

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