While quiet quitting may have been the workplace trend of 2023, there’s a new careers buzz doing the rounds: quiet hiring. As research shows that job opportunities are outnumbering candidates seeking employment, many companies are looking for alternative ways to fill their recruitment needs, and quiet hiring is becoming increasingly popular. 

But what is it, and how can it benefit us? Whether you’re an employer or an employee, consider this your complete guide to quiet hiring. You might never need to attend another job interview in your life (cue a collective sigh of relief). 

Never heard of quiet hiring? The premise is simple: rather than hiring new staff, a company will fill a job opportunity by using current employees in a new capacity. 

“Quiet hiring is the term used to describe when a business acquires new skills without taking on new staff,” explains Sophie Attwood, founder and CEO of SA Communications, and author of Beautiful PR: Finding Your Brand’s Heartbeat for Authenticity in Communication.  “Typically, this will involve leveraging existing employees by giving them training opportunities and a chance to expand their skill set.” 

A simple and cost-effective premise, investing in training and upskilling an existing workforce isn’t anything new, Attwood tells Stylist. “Although this is a concept that is currently trending, it is something which has been happening for decades in workplaces and enabled many people to climb the career ladder and gain in knowledge and experience on the way,” she says. 

However, research conducted by the Learning and Work Institute shows that the amount companies are investing on skills per employee has fallen by 28% since 2005, so quiet hiring might be just the push employers need to start investing in your development. 

Aside from the obvious benefit of not having to conduct lengthy recruitment processes, there are a few more surprising benefits to quiet hiring for both employers and employees.

1. It’s cost efficient  

“In theory, ‘quiet hiring’ allows companies to meet their needs by maximising their existing talent pool without expanding their team, thereby avoiding the costs and commitments associated with hiring new full-time staff,” explains Ken Janssens, co-founder and head of social impact at Windō. “It offers a quicker, cheaper, and more efficient way to address a company’s skills gaps. In a world where organisations often face economic downturns, and an increasingly competitive hiring landscape, keeping costs down and maximising efficiency of employee time is imperative.”

2. It makes us feel valued

There are few things more motivating in the workplace than your talents being acknowledged, and quiet hiring enables companies to identify where their in-house skills are, and how to best utilise them. “Quiet hiring can significantly boost job satisfaction,” agrees Janssens. “Exciting new challenges and the opportunity to take on tasks aligned with professional strengths can make an employee feel more engaged, motivated, and valued at work.”

3. It increases productivity

As we all know, when we feel valued in a workplace, we’re likely to work harder. “For the people within the team, giving your existing team new responsibilities and opportunities can be hugely beneficial to morale,” agrees Attwood. “This in turn has positive impacts on not only productivity but also on employee happiness and the business as a whole. Why shouldn’t your existing team have access to promotions prior to opening the net wider outside of the organisation?”

4. It fast-tracks career progression 

Rather than having to start over in a new company in a new role, the ability to up-skill and shift roles in your current organisation can make a career more more palatable and appealing. “If you are looking to enhance certain skills or transition into a new career path entirely, quiet hiring can facilitate that switch with more job security, allowing you to change careers without necessarily leaving the company or taking a salary cut,” explains Janssens. “This means you can maintain existing routines, work-life balance, and organisational familiarity, making the transition feel more stable and fulfilling.”

5. It fosters a sense of loyalty and belonging 

When we’re feeling valued and appreciated at work, we tend to feel a sense of loyalty to our company. Alongside this, if employees are staying put, rather than having a constant conveyor belt of new staff, it fosters a sense of community and belonging that will enhance a company’s culture. “It’s easy to overlook the time that is spent on building a culture within a company and how hiring a new team can impact this,” considers Attwood, “and that’s before you then add in the time that it takes to teach new employees the intricacies within your organisation. When done properly, quiet hiring could be beneficial for an employee and employer alike.”

All these benefits aside, it’s important that quiet hiring doesn’t become a way of employers avoiding hiring by piling more work onto our shoulders with little or no increase in support, pay or other factors that we need for job satisfaction. 

“Quiet hiring is absolutely not a chance for employers to add more to each team’s workload and expect them to tackle more in the same hours and at the same standard,” warns Attwood. “While it is undoubtedly a great cost-saving measure, without clear communication and recognition, team members may feel overburdened and undervalued, which can ultimately harm productivity and workplace cohesion.

“We’re in a world where burnout is prevalent and it’s therefore more important than ever for people to have a set role that they can really own, enjoy and succeed at, without the pressures of adding so much that we lose any enjoyment.”

Images: Getty