Ruvio is an associate professor of Marketing at the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, and the director of the Master of Science in Marketing Research (MSMR) program. Her research focuses on the wellbeing and behavior of consumers and employees. Morgeson is an assistant professor of Marketing at the Broad College. His research focuses on customer-firm relationships and the financial value of both customer and employee assets to firms. 

“Quiet firing is a strategy that a company uses to trim out some of their employees quietly,” says Ruvio. “Layoffs are not quiet firing; they’re quite loud. Announcing layoffs can actually hurt a company. Quiet firing has the advantage of sometimes achieving almost the same exact thing, but not in a way that is publicly known, so, quietly.” 

The duo explains how quiet firing and quiet quitting are related. And they share some of the warning signs of quiet firing. They include changes to one’s working conditions, responsibilities, and compensation. And they share strategies for a person who thinks they may be being quiet fired. The first thing to do is “have a reality check” to make sure it’s really happening. And make sure you’re documenting both the good and bad and communicate openly and proactively. 

“The goal is to rationally diagnose the situation and make sure you’re not misunderstanding the signs you may be getting from your employer,” adds Morgeson. “If you do think you’re being pushed out of a job and are being treated unfairly, rationally analyze the situation to the best of your ability. These are often really emotional situations that can lead you to jump to conclusions. Document both the good and bad things happening to you and see if you can come to a rational conclusion about how you’re being treated or mistreated and make your decision based on that information.”

MSU Today airs Saturdays at 5 p.m. and Sundays at 5 a.m. on WKAR News/Talk and Sundays at 8 p.m. on 760 WJR. Find “MSU Today with Russ White” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your shows.