Employees know when they’re being quiet fired. When that suspicion arises, employees usually quiet quit by doing the bare minimum. Sometimes they get the hint to dust off their LinkedIn, sometimes they try to stick it out, and sometimes they take this as a sign to stop making an effort and collect a free paycheck. But no matter how that employee responds, everyone in your practice notices. Improving performance takes time and terminations are unpleasant, but quiet firing costs so much more than the conversations you’re trying to avoid.
What Quiet Firing Feels Like to Your Employees
You know how it works on your end. Reducing hours or benefits, excluding staff from important conversations, putting speedbumps in their career path, procrastinating when they ask for support… it’s enough to make anyone want to quit! Quiet firing creates discomfort on purpose. And if you’re the employee, you notice all of that, and more.
- Reduced hours leads to lost income and increased desperation to stay employed.
- Exclusion feels personal, not like a management decision.
- Slower career progression says “why bother?” when motivation could be the cure.
- Vague or inauthentic feedback causes anxiety, confusion, and worse work quality.
- Unfulfilled promises erode trust and make it impossible to plan or make better decisions.
- A lack of support feels like being set up to fail.
Why Some Employers Think Quiet Firing Works (and Why We Know it Doesn’t)
The practice owners who encourage employees to leave think it’ll keep them from having to have the tough conversations. They won’t have to confront anyone about their performance. Employees will take the hint and start applying elsewhere. Practice managers assume that quiet firing means they won’t have to pay unemployment, severance, or state-mandated PTO payouts. Some even consider it a kindness because they don’t want to rip off the termination bandaid when employees are already having a tough time.
Those benefits are concentrated on the employer. But what about what happens to the practice as a whole? Most often, this is what really happens:
- Lower practice efficiency, since you’re effectively understaffing yourself
- Rumors and suspicion that spreads to the employees you want to keep
- Burnout among team members who have to pick up the slack
- Turnover beyond the employee you want to leave
- Unproductive retention of employees who think things will get better
- Countering quiet firing with quiet quitting
- Reputational damage, especially in small communities
- Legal risk of wrongful termination under constructive discharge
Thoughtful Performance Management Works Much Better
Separation is always going to be uncomfortable for someone. You could avoid this whole mess in one of two ways: having effective performance management processes, or handling a termination the right way.
Don’t Make Performance Reviews Scary
If reviews only happen when something is going wrong, it’s going to feel like a scolding. Set clear expectations from day one, and provide regular feedback, both structured and unstructured. Hold those yearly reviews, but check in frequently, too. We usually recommend open door policies because it takes pressure off employees and helps you intercept possible issues before they become problems. Our employee evaluation form helps you ask the right questions.
Terminate When it’s Time
Thoughtful, well-documented terminations are much cleaner than any attempt at quiet firing. No, your employees won’t like it, but most of the time, they already know what’s coming. Before you get to this point, though, make sure you’ve got good intentions. Document performance changes, track policy violations, and give your employee a chance to improve. If you’re still sure it’s time to let them go, say the words out loud and help your employee move on with grace. Then, get started on your hiring and onboarding process.
Transparency and Documentation Beat Quiet Firing Every Time
Don’t be scared to talk to your team. Employees genuinely want feedback, but most of them aren’t getting it. Or they are getting feedback, and it’s not constructive or useful for them. Make your practice a place where people can ask questions, get the help they need, and be open about what could be going better. That kind of transparency goes both ways.
In the meantime, documentation protects everyone. The fireable employee might be operating under the wrong assumptions about their job, but clear policies and violation tracking sets them straight. If there’s still no alternative but to let them go, you’ve got the paper trail to protect your practice.
We created an all-in-one guide for this exact sort of situation. Get The Ultimate Guide to Pain-Free Performance Reviews. Your team will thank you!
