Quiet quitting, the act of doing less rather than more on the job, has been getting a lot of buzz lately. For a while, it seemed like just about everyone was talking about this passive-aggressive approach to finding more work-life balance. We even shared our thoughts about why it may not be the best course of action for Black folks who are constantly held to a higher standard at work and have absolutely no room for slipping on the job.
But now, according to a recent Instagram post from 25 Black Women in Beauty, it seems you may need to start watching your back and your front for signs that your boss is “quiet firing” you. If you’re rolling your eyes at that last sentence, don’t worry, I am too.
In their post, which has now received over 350 likes, 25BWB lays out five signs that your boss may be trying to make your life at work so miserable that you leave without them having to go through the awkward step of firing you or giving you a comfortable severance package to tide you over until you find your next job.
Here are the signs:
- If you’ve been at your job for a while without receiving a raise, or if your raise is considerably below the company average.
- If you’ve been in the same role for more than three years and the subject of a promotion has never come up.
- Your boss refuses to meet with you or repeatedly cancels meetings with you.
- You are often excluded from meetings that are important to the work you do.
- Your boss complains about you or gossips about you to other employees.
If you made it through this list, I know you’re rolling your eyes now. Especially if as a person of color, you already experience treatment like this at work on the regular. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s ever ok to try to force someone out of their job. But if you want my humble opinion, unless you’re leaving for a better opportunity, stick around and let them lay you off. At least then you can collect unemployment.