‘Quiet Hiring’: When employees are transferred internally or temps are brought in

HR experts say the idea of quiet hiring is to prioritise crucial business functions at a given time. (Illustration by Suneesh Kalarickal)

While 2021 gave the world ‘The Great Resignation’ and 2022 gave rise to the term ‘Quiet Quitting’, 2023, less than two weeks in, has made HR executives go weak in the knees at the mention of  ‘Quiet Hiring’.

Quiet hiring involves employees taking on other roles within the organisation. For instance, if there is a workforce shortage to complete a job due to the sudden resignation of an employee, another employee from another division with knowledge of the task is “quietly transferred internally” to temporarily fill the role.

“Earlier, this process used to be known as restructuring and this is the first and quickest explanation of the term,” said RP Yadav, CMD, Genius Consultants, an HR consultancy firm.

Secondly, he said the term is also applicable when the company hires people temporarily from outside to complete the task or project at hand. A third instance is when an organisation restructures by permanently transferring employees from one division to another to handle a manpower crisis.

Yadav believes ‘Quiet Hiring’ has been practised by Indian organisations for a long time under the guise of “restructuring” but the intensity has increased because of sudden manpower shortages in light of recent trends.

Of the total vacancy, Genius Consultants has observed that 15-20 percent of the workforce is filled through ‘Quiet Hiring’, particularly in medium and large-scale organisations.

The impact

HR experts say the idea of quiet hiring is to prioritise crucial business functions at a given time. Meaning, role enhancement or rotating employees internally is one way of quiet hiring.

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“However, shifting employees internally has the potential to create resentment in specialist roles and make them feel undervalued, which, in turn, might trigger them to see the move as a sign to start looking for a new job,” Suman Kumar Ghosh, Head of HR at Bajaj Electricals, told Moneycontrol.

But it remains a fact that without reacting through quiet hiring, many companies would be forced to increase hiring.

The initiative’s success rests on how it is presented to employees. Employers cannot be quiet about ‘quiet hiring’, said Ghosh. “An announcement of a change is not enough as employers should be able to clearly articulate what the initiative means for their company.”

Organisations that have internal career advancement programmes can be said to be already practising quiet hiring since they intend to fill higher management roles from the existing cadre.

“In terms of statistics, functions such as Product Management and Consulting have internal mobility rates of over 20 percent in India, indicating that domestic companies are adept at employing quiet hiring based on functional needs,” said Girish Rowjee, Co-Founder and CEO, Greytip Software, an HRMS company based in Bangalore.

What to do if you are ‘quiet hired’

For employees, this kind of hiring can be an opportunity to discuss their long-term goals and even get a promotion. “They should leverage quiet hiring and consider how the pivot will help them advance in their current position and their career trajectory,” said Ghosh.

But for results to follow, industry experts suggest employees who experience ‘quiet hiring’ during their tenure stay positive and proactive — it’s important to stay focused in your current job, and take on additional responsibilities if there are any available.

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“Employees should look for ways to improve their skills and make themselves more marketable in the future. Take on new challenges and stay engaged in your work,” said Jenender Anand, Chief Operating Officer at LML Emotion, a motor vehicle manufacturing firm.

No time to be cautious 

Before deciding whether to embrace the new role and responsibilities, experts say employees need to identify their individual goals and ambitions — whether they are open to expanding their horizons, or prefer to rise up the ladder within their specialisation.

“I believe it is important in this critical time for employees, job seekers and freshers to keep an open mind, understand the work ecosystem and get their finger on the pulse of their industry,” said Pradeep Bangalore, Senior Director – HR, at Kudelski Group, a digital television company.

Yadav of Genius Consultants says that if an organisation recognises a particular employee and  asks him to take up an additional responsibility that will add to his or her KRAs (key responsibility areas), it means the employee has grown in importance in the eyes of the organisation.

“The employee should bank on this faith and take the opportunity willingly, upskilling himself in the process to be part of the ‘Quiet Hiring’,” he said.

No dark period for job seekers

While quiet hiring is predominantly employed for executive and mid-level roles, many important positions will continue to be filled by both internal and external recruitment drives.

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“With India projected to remain the fastest-growing major economy in the world in the foreseeable future, there will undoubtedly be room for fresh talent to be absorbed in the burgeoning formal economy,” said Rowjee of Greytip Software.

He said job aspirants should focus on the industry or role that they would like to pursue, while also being flexible to work in allied industries or positions. “It is imperative that aspirants stay informed about industry trends and use this period to expand their professional network to discover opportunities available through employee referral programs.”

Talent experts say the importance of adjacent skills is most often seen in high-productivity roles. For instance, IT major Infosys, apart from hiring for specific skills, also focuses on adjacent skills.

“If someone has to be hired for AI, we look for someone who already has big data and related skills,” said Thirumala Arohi Mamunooru, SVP and Head of Education, Training, and Assessments, at Infosys.

In the current knowledge economy, Shailesh Sharma, Associate Director of HR at CABT Logistics, said that whether you are experienced or a fresher is not going to count; getting a job offer will be subject to your knowledge of specific skills.

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