Quiet firing is spreading, but there are business risks to tactics to push workers out

"As more companies demand employees spend more days in their workplaces each week, some critics claim that tightening return to office (RTO) rulesin partaim to provoke resignations from employees unwilling to give up their remote or hybrid work arrangements. Reinforced RTO mandates, especially by large companies like Amazon and Starbucks, sparked accusations that management's tighter in-office requirements are a cover for pushing flexibility-loving workers to quit."

"It turns out, businesses are also using other methods to trim head count, including cutting worker benefits, increasing workloads, delaying pay raises, or gradually isolating targets in the workplace until they resign. A recent survey of 1,128 U.S. business leaders by CV writing platform ResumeTemplates found 42 percent of respondents admitted to having used those quiet-firing strategies this year, with an additional 11 percent saying they plan to do so in coming months."

Employers are tightening return-to-office mandates and deploying additional quiet-firing tactics to push employees toward resignation. Tactics include cutting benefits, increasing workloads without compensation, delaying promised raises, and isolating targeted workers. A survey of 1,128 U.S. business leaders found 42 percent admitted using such strategies this year and 11 percent plan to use them soon, totaling 53 percent who cited avoiding severance, legal, and reputational costs as primary motives. Delaying raises, stricter RTO rules, workload increases, and wage or benefit cuts emerged as the most common methods reported.

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