In the American workplace of 2023, a new labor market trend has arrived where “quiet quitting” left off.
Quiet cutting.
“Some people think of silent cutting as a subcategory of silent shooting,” said Nadia De Ala, leadership and negotiation coach. “In this way, companies can avoid layoffs and potentially save money on the costs they would incur through severance packages. This is about reorganizing existing employees, not laying them off or laying them off, but reassigning them to other roles.”
The emergence of these new workplace trends often reflects the state of the labor market and the economy. Despite the overall strength of the U.S. labor market, some companies are concerned about the future, leading them to take a “quiet cutting” approach to workplace changes.
“In recent years we have seen quiet abandonment and great resignation, signs of a robust economy and a tight labor market in which workers have had the upper hand,” said Joanne Lipman, a lecturer and best-selling author at Yale University. “Silent cuts suggest the balance is shifting and employers are gaining more control.”
Watch the video above to learn more about silent cutting and what this workplace trend tells us about the U.S. labor market and the overall economy.