Within the last couple of years, a new trend has entered the workplaces of the globe. The new trend is known by the term “silent firing.” Silent firing refers to making a worker feel unwanted without being confronted. With this approach becoming more popular, it sets off questions in terms of its ethics and whether or not it really works.
Silent firing involves techniques that managers use secretly in the process of getting their employees to leave the company. Instead of laying someone off, employers make work at the workplace uncomfortable by making people feel unnoticed or decrease other positions and activities they assigned to the worker. In this regard, the worker is forced and opts to resign from that employment.
This is, in fact the reverse of what actually happens during the classic firing process. The workers do not face the traditional end but silent disconnection. Indirect communication leads to the mystification and valuelessness of the workplace.
Why the Silent Firing?
There are various reasons that promote organizations to employ this kind of termination method. Avoidance of conflict is one fundamental reason why companies apply silent termination. Most of the executives detest serving unwanted news. Thus by becoming surreptitiously aggressive, they believe it can help them escape from distress and nervousness.
Silent firing would also perhaps protect the company’s reputation. Organizations may prevent formal firing, hence they would remain safe from eventual backlash from the public. The public may not discuss their wrong experiences with them to spoil the company’s reputation in the public domain.
There is also apparent cost advantage in silent firing. Since companies do not pay some severance and legal packages that accompany other dismissals, some companies consider silent firing as an inexpensive tactic.
Effect on Employees
Silent termination has a great impact on the mental and psychological status of employees along with their job satisfaction. First, it creates uncertainty. There is a question in their minds that whether they have value or not. Job security becomes an issue that makes them anxious. Due to this anxiety, there is a decline in their productivity and morale.
Furthermore, the silent firing process keeps the employees isolated. The workers are not communicated to and cannot seek clarification about their performance. Consequently, most workers are highly stressed. This may lead to burnout and lower engagement.
Also, silent firing might be translated further into personal life. Working people are known to develop an erosion in their esteem as well as a decreasing self-confidence level. It impacts their next employment that in turn decides their subsequent profession.
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Alternative ways of Silent Firing
Even if it sounds convenient to shoot mute, there is better for healthier alternatives. The creation of a favorable workplace starts with open communication. Management must ensure honesty, offering honest feedback and constructive criticism, so issues relating to performance are solved at their very onset before matters go sour.
Regular meetings between employers and employees also exist. This is the forum through which concerns are expressed and expectations set. People appreciate working for the employer if they have something to say about their job.
Employee satisfaction can be furthered through professional development opportunities. The company showing a sense of investment in their workforce gives a sense of responsibility and will keep workers inside and productive.
Internal policies as well as the overall company culture have a great impact over how the employees view the workspace. A good culture encourages collaboration, transparency, mutual respect, and more between the employees. Less likely to de-engage are the valued workers.
A very toxic culture on the other hand will produce conditions that promote silent firing, among others. Organizations must have a focus on the developing of the supportive atmosphere. Their efforts must be identified contribution and successes must be celebrated. Therefore, by emphasizing culture, companies can easily avoid silencing the worker from the start.
Address Silent Firing in the Organization
Awareness is paramount in combating silent firing in the organization. Training to educate managers on the resultant effects of their actions, leaders must realize that not being aggressive can be used against the employees.
On the other hand, implementation of an anonymous feedback mechanism can help the organization by allowing the employees to voice themselves without any fear of retorsion. This means that it can give meaningful insights about the workplace setting.
Lastly, institutions need to ensure that there are set clear procedures that pertain to issues such as communication and managing disputes. It would then make silent firings less necessary in the sense that organizations are given a structured approach through which disputes can be addressed and problems managed.
Organizations will avoid a passive-aggressive attitude and instead encourage open communication. Healthy workplaces are developed with engaged and satisfied employees. Lastly, transparency will create better benefits for employees as well as employers. So, let’s work together for a work culture that has value for each person in it and helps them grow.
