Many people are familiar with the term "quiet quitting," which refers to a phenomenon in which employees reduce their enthusiasm at work and stick to the minimum expectations of their role. Now another labor-related trend is trending: "quiet hiring."
Ross Jahnke, EdD, director of professional development programs in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, describes quiet hiring in an article published July 11.
He said it is "the practice of expanding an organization's capacities by assigning existing employees new responsibilities.Those new responsibilities often require new skills or a higher-level application of existing skills. Companies engaging in 'quiet hiring' may be trying to fill skills gaps while conserving resources."
Dr. Jahnke added that he finds the term "unhelpful because it makes it sound like an inherently unethical practice, like something done in secret." Instead, he advocates for reframing quiet hiring with the term "upskilling."
Quiet hiring is among the latest workforce trends to surface. Others that have surfaced, in addition to quiet quitting, include "lazy girl job," "bare minimum Mondays" and "career cushioning."