A few months ago, during a mentoring session, a young professional told me: “I don’t feel like giving my 100% anymore. No matter how much I do, my manager barely notices. Why should I go the extra mile?”

Weeks later, I had a private conversation with a leader who confessed: “We know he isn’t delivering, but instead of confronting it, we’ve stopped involving him in key projects. Eventually, he’ll get the message.”

Two conversations. Two sides of the same coin. This is what today’s workplace has named: quiet quitting and quiet firing.

But here’s the thing. They’re not trends. They’re symptoms.

On the Employee’s Side, it's Quiet Quitting.

At its core, quiet quitting is not laziness. It’s exhaustion. It’s a silent way of saying, “I’ve stopped believing my extra effort matters.”

But let me ask you, have you ever stayed in a role where you gave less than you could, just to protect yourself from disappointment? Did it really make you happier, or did it shrink your future?

On the Employer’s Side, it's Quiet Firing.

Quiet firing, on the other hand, is when managers avoid the difficult conversations. Instead of coaching, they sideline. Instead of feedback, they give silence.

And I’ll be honest, it’s not always malicious. Sometimes leaders don’t know how to address underperformance. Sometimes they’re stretched too thin. But here’s the reality, silence isn’t management. It’s abdication.

If you’ve ever been left out of opportunities without explanation, you know how it feels.

The Hard Truth is Both Sides Share the Responsibility.

Neither side is innocent. Quiet quitting is often a reaction to feeling undervalued. Quiet firing is often a leader’s escape from accountability. But both kill trust, morale, and performance.

So the real question is, instead of asking who started it, shouldn’t we be asking who will break the silence?

What Can We Do?

1. As Employees: Don’t go silent. If you feel disengaged, speak up. Seek clarity, ask for growth, or explore internal moves before switching off.
2. As Leaders: Stop avoiding. Hard conversations are part of leadership. Recognition and feedback cost nothing, but silence costs everything.
3. As Organisations: Create psychological safety. People should feel safe to say, “I’m struggling” without fear of being sidelined.

Quiet quitting and quiet firing are not problems of effort alone. They’re problems of trust.

When people feel unseen, they withdraw. When leaders feel unsure, they avoid. And both sides end up stuck in silence.

So ask yourself today: 

👉 Are you showing up fully in your role, or protecting yourself with silence? 

👉 As a leader, are you confronting issues, or quietly pushing them away?

Because in the end, the real damage isn’t quitting or firing. It’s what happens to a workplace when no one is talking at all.

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