quiet hiring

The trend in HR over the past few months and in the coming months has one thing in common: “quiet”. Last year, “quiet quitting” emerged as a concept, and unfortunately, it will continue to haunt us. This year, “quiet hiring” will dominate. It’s also the first of nine “future of work trends” for 2023, according to Gartner.

“Quiet hiring” refers to filling vacancies without publishing or advertising them externally. Instead, more emphasis will be placed on referrals and internal networking.

A logical consequence of a very tight labor market and the desire to reduce recruitment costs and duration.

The key question is: how can you ensure you don’t let the “quiet hiring” train leave the station? By focusing on skills – both hard and soft – to better understand potential internal recruitment opportunities.

invisible

The notorious double q, “quiet quitting,” isn’t a new phenomenon. What has, however, changed drastically recently is its visibility.

Almost three centuries ago, workers on assembly lines would have people hovering over them while the latter watched the workers and their productivity levels.

Today, Corona has accelerated and increased working-from-home initiatives. Making employees’ productivity, or lack thereof, much less visible.

At the risk of introducing a communistic undertone, Lenin once said, “Trust, but verify.” Without proper initiatives to check in with employees, the risk of them sliding into quiet quitting mode is substantial.

Those initiatives should be tailor-made and personalized. Small talk just won’t cut it. Apply a (scientifically sound) model to measure employee engagement to get ahead of the dreaded double q.