Exploring the next ‘quiet’ workplace phenomenon and what to do about it

First, the buzz was all about “quiet quitting” as overworked employees quietly cut back on their tasks to help them cope with job stress. That trend was countered with “quiet firing” as supervisors who noticed the slowdowns looked for opportunities to push quiet quitters out the door. And now, employer review site JobSage has turned up evidence of what it calls “quiet promotions”—the phenomenon created when employees find themselves with more work and responsibility without an accompanying raise or title change. What should the not-so-quiet response be from employers? A few employment-focused companies have some advice.

What do quiet promotions look like?
In October, JobSage surveyed 1,000 full-time employees aiming to find out which employees are thriving at work and how employers can create an environment conducive to flourishing employees.

The research turned up frequent instances of employees taking on more work for no more pay or recognition. The survey found that 78% of the employees surveyed reported they had been quietly promoted. The poll also found that 67% of the employees absorbed the work of a coworker who had left the company, and 73% had experienced a manager asking them to take on additional work.

The research also exposed a red flag for employers guilty of morale-hampering quiet promotions: 57% of the employees surveyed felt manipulated or taken advantage of when their employer asked them to do more work without a change in status.