If your employer no longer wants you around, they need to think carefully about what they do next. If you are on an at-will contract, they can usually just cancel it. The exception would be if their motive for wanting you gone is discriminatory.
If you have a contract and they want to terminate it, they will need to give you the appropriate severance package. But once again the reason behind their wanting you gone cannot be discriminatory.
An attempt to make you make the decision
Quiet firing refers to when an employer acts in ways intended to cause an employee to quit. In effect, they try to make it more painful for you to stay than go. If you quit, that solves their problem in their eyes.
They assume they won’t have to deal with accusations of discrimination or pay a severance package where there is a contract. They assume that you making the call to leave will protect them. That’s not quite how it works, however.
You may still be able to claim wrongful dismissal if you can show your employer pushed you out the door for unlawful reasons. Tactics employers use include:
Removing you from the team
Imagine going from a desk in the hub of a lively office to a lonely table in an otherwise unused outbuilding. Or being left out of meetings or days out you were once welcome at. You’d pretty soon get the message that your boss does not want you around.
Letting your talents go to waste
You are one of the top accountants in the firm. However, you now find yourself assigned to trivial data entry tasks that leave you bored senseless. It would be understandable if you started looking for a new job elsewhere – but that is exactly what your boss might want.
Pushing you too hard
Has your workload suddenly doubled? Have your hours changed to ones that make it impossible to pick up your kids from school? It may be an intentional move by your employer.
It’s not always easy to prove quiet firing so it is wise to learn how best to go about it if you suspect it is happening to you.