It’s no secret that the job market is not great, despite how many politicians may deny it (or how many times the president tries to fire the people who report the bad jobs numbers). Everyone knows someone who’s jobless right now, if they’re not jobless themselves.
And there seems to be an increasing number of sneaky schemes in the working world to disguise all this (and make it easier to gaslight everyone into believing the economy is fine). From ghost jobs to firing people and refilling their positions with lower-paid workers, businesses seem to be pulling out all the stops. Now, yet another new trend has emerged: “quiet layoffs.”
6 easy-to-miss signs that ‘quiet layoffs’ are coming for your job:
First, there was “quiet quitting,” doing the bare minimum at a job and not a thing more, rather than standing up and walking out. Now, apparently, the trend is moving in the other direction with “quiet layoffs.”
Research from Careerminds has found that this trend is growing fast. So what the heck is a “quiet layoff?” It’s a steadily escalating list of small changes that often go unnoticed in isolation. But when added together, they become a sort of “death by a thousand cuts” with the goal of manipulating you into quitting.
That way, HR and your employer don’t have to deal with any legal issues, severance packages, the costs of you drawing unemployment, or the bad PR of laying people off. “Quiet layoffs are rarely labeled as such, but they’re deeply disruptive,” said Raymond Lee, President at Careerminds. “They often create a culture of fear and instability, and ultimately harm morale, productivity, and brand reputation.”
So how can you tell if you’re being manipulated in this way? Lee and his team identified five key changes that tend to happen in a workplace or to a person’s job that indicate the powers that be are trying to make you so miserable you’ll quit.
1. Sudden shifts in workload
If you notice your work being reassigned to others or your calendar suddenly gets really light, take it seriously. “Employers may reduce responsibilities to slowly push employees out or make them feel redundant,” Lee said. Likewise, you may find yourself suddenly being buried with more work in an effort to make you say “screw this” and resign, and often because other people have quit and there’s no intention of refilling their roles.
2. Promotion and raise freezes
If career progression suddenly hits a major roadblock, it’s usually a bad sign. Annual raises, bonuses, or promotions being put indefinitely “on hold” is your clue, especially if there’s no clarity as to why, for instance, an explanation about business seasons for the belt-tightening.
3. Exclusion from meetings or communications
If you’re suddenly being left out of the loop on key decisions, strategic discussions, team-planning sessions, or other vital communications, it may be an intentional distancing effort to diminish your ability to influence or contribute to your team. In short, you’re being phased out.
4. Sudden increase in performance improvement plans (PIPs)
If you notice that a lot of your colleagues seem to be getting PIPs all of a sudden, it’s likely not coincidental. PIPs are frequently used for legitimate purposes, of course. But they are just as (if not more) often used to establish a paper trail to justify giving someone the axe or push back against claims that an employee was essentially forced into quitting, say, because of a “hostile work environment.” Lee said you should take particular notice if high performers are put on PIPs. “That’s a strong red flag” that they’re trying to shove people out the door.
5. Reluctance to backfill roles.
Backfilling is the process of HR, recruiting, and management teams hiring replacements for a vacated role. If you notice a lot of people quitting and then their positions sitting empty (perhaps because their work is being dumped on you, as discussed in item number one), it’s likely because the company is trying to downsize without drawing attention to it.
6. Subtle, vague signals from leadership
“Pay attention to vague, sanitized language from stakeholders,” Lee said, noting examples like “realigning resources,” “streamlining operations,” or “shifting priorities.” These aren’t just jargon; they’re signs that the company is making changes. Silence is just as revealing: “Leadership’s avoidance of clear answers about the future is often a signal in itself,” Lee said.
“Being alert to these signs can empower employees to take control before they’re caught off guard,” he added, urging workers to take it as a signal to start polishing up their resumes, working on connections, and reaching out to career coaches or headhunters. “Taking action early can make all the difference when navigating uncertain times at work.”
