The phenomenon of quiet hiring is simply employers trying to utilize current staff or contract workers for needed roles rather than looking at new hires.
One goal of this practice is to avoid a lot of turnover by promoting and nurturing employees already committed to the company. Work place trends are always going to evolve from time to time. This trend has advantages to both employers and employees alike. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re noticed quiet hiring in your workplace.
Clarify expectations.
If you’re being asked to switch up your roles or learn something new to fill a gap, it’s easy to see how this may lead to burnout without monitoring what goes on. The best way to handle this is having a clear discussion of what is expected of you. Write these expectations down on paper and attach your understanding of what’s changing to an email to create a paper trail. You just don’t want to become stretched too thin.
Expands your skill set.
One of the most obvious advantages to the current employee during quiet hiring is all the skills they’ll gain in this transition. It’s like a type of on-the-job training. In other words, it’s free! Why not take advantage of learning new skills on your employer’s time? Worst case scenario, you are setting yourself up for new opportunities outside your current company as you never know what the future holds.
Learn something unexpected.
On top of expanding your skill set, if you are asked to move into a type of different position, you may discover a job you never knew existed. Let’s say you are a receptionist and greet new customers now but your company has a need for someone to follow up with clients and provide them with additional customer service. With tasks like this, you might find yourself in a sales job before you know it, and you may discover talents you didn’t know you had if you hadn’t challenged yourself in that way.
It may be job security.
If you show how valuable you are to your company, that leads to them wanting to keep you around. As you move throughout the company as requested and excel in each role, you are likely to become a major asset to the company. This may also buffer you from any future layoffs that may happen at the company. If you are already doing well in one role and your original job is eliminated, they are still likely to keep you on.
As you move into a different role with varying responsibilities, also try to negotiate something in it for you financially.
A direct raise is sometimes off the table, but you could try for better healthcare benefits, additional PTO, or a flexible work schedule that better fits your life. Just make sure you get a clear picture of what is expected of you and any trade-offs you may be agreeing to if you find yourself in a quiet hiring situation.
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