The term ‘quiet hiring’ has quickly become a buzzword to describe the growing trend of organisations looking internally, rather than externally, to plug skills gaps.
While on the surface this approach may look like a win-win for both employee and employer, one of the UK’s leading HR and recruitment agencies, Gi Group, is highlighting that it should be a part of a hiring strategy as opposed to a strategy on its own.
‘Quiet hiring’ describes the process of when a business acquires new skills without hiring new full-time employees. Instead, more responsibilities are given to current employees that can go beyond their current job description.
While internal promotion is nothing new in the workplace, quiet hiring has become increasingly popular in the past year in light of the current climate and ongoing skills gap across various sectors – particularly the gap widening in the need for management skills. More so than ever, businesses are looking internally at what skills are missing, and finding ways to best manage this with the team in place.
The quiet hiring process is generally more informal than an external recruitment process, which is often one of the main appeals to employers.
Upskilling employees can be incredibly beneficial for organisations of all sizes, and in return can lead to increased retention, loyalty to the business and engagement.
Burnout is a growing issue within the workplace, with Mental Health UK warning we are on the verge of becoming a ‘burnt-out nation’ as nine in 10 adults said they experienced high or extreme levels of pressure and stress at some point in the past year.
Kate Sands, Learning and Development Trainer at Gi Group said: “Recognising, rewarding and developing internal talent is so crucial within any workplace, and it’s not a new phenomenon. What we are seeing with quiet hiring, however, is some employers looking to avoid an official recruitment process entirely. There are various reasons why this may seem appealing for businesses, whether they’re looking to save on recruitment costs or reduce the time it takes to fill roles. When weighing up the pros and cons, we strongly advise that this decision isn’t taken without careful consideration and a solid strategy in place, as without this, quiet hiring can come with various challenges.”
