Tech Layoffs 2024: Silent Layoff vs. Quiet Firing—A Detailed Guide

 The layoffs in the tech industry will continue in 2024, with around 95,000 employees already laid off. This phase comes after 2023, which witnessed a 59% increase in layoffs as compared to the previous year. Major tech giants like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Alphabet made headlines with major job cuts in 2022, and this trend of layoffs is unlikely to slow down soon. In the first half of this year alone, a major number of 98,834 tech employees have been laid off, which means an average of over 500 jobs lost every single day. With the tech giants focusing on cost reduction, the trend will not stop anytime soon. While layoffs in large numbers are gaining attention, a new trend of silent layoffs is taking place in the tech industry. The tactic of silent layoff involves pressuring the employees to resign without formal announcement. The IT sector of India is practicing this trend on a large scale.

What are silent layoffs and quiet firing?

While the objective of silent layoffs and quiet firing remains the same, which means to fire the employees, the methods are different. A brief chance is given to the employees in silent layoffs to find a position in the company with a time duration, whereas in contrast, quiet firing makes the employee’s current job unwanted, ultimately forcing the employee to resign.

Silent layoffs refer to a method used by companies to reduce their workforce. Silent layoffs encourage the employees to resign. Under this method, employees are given a time period to prove their need in the organization and find a new job role in the same company, and if they fail to do so, they are fired. Whereas in Quiet Firing refers to a method where employees are informed in advance that they will be let go from the company in the near future. This gives the affected employees a notice period, typically ranging from a few weeks to a few months, before they officially lose their compensation and benefits.

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Signs to look out for silent layoffs and quiet firing

1) You are continuously criticized in your workplace.

Notice that if you are suddenly not getting praise for your work, You are being criticized for everything you do in your workplace, and your manager is focusing on every small mistake that you are making. All these observations can be signs to look out for these two firing methods.

2) You are not a part of important events.

Another major sign of a silent layoff or quiet firing is your sudden exclusion from office events. You might find yourself excluded from team meetings or events you would usually attend, and coworkers may start avoiding you unless it’s for work-related matters.

3)You are not in the loop.

If you are missing significant information for tasks or projects and are being excluded from regular email threads or not receiving important information, this could be a sign of a silent layoff and a quiet firing.

4) Your manager does not discuss your future.

If there isn’t any plan for your promotion or advancement within your organization and your colleagues and boss are starting to close ranks, this definitely could be one of the signs.

5) You are not getting raises or promotions.

Another major sign of quiet firing or silent layoff is changes in your compensation or lack thereof. This isn’t just about missing out on raises or bonuses; it can also mean being passed over for promotions, even when you’re due or deserving of one.