“Quiet cutting” is the new buzzword for a long-standing practice in the world of human resources. It refers to pushing an employee to resign in order to reduce headcount, without having to offer the worker redundancy.

Around three quarters of US employees surveyed by the job search website Monster say they have already seen their employer resort to this unscrupulous practice. What’s more, 58% of respondents said they had been personally impacted by quiet cutting.

Indeed, quiet cutting does not only affect the worker who is pushed out – those who remain often feel overwhelmed by negative emotions. They may feel stressed, demotivated, disengaged, and even guilty.

This has an impact on their productivity, even though the aim of downsizing is to restore a company’s level of performance and competitiveness.

For those affected by this practice, there are a number of strategies that could help them regain a little serenity in their day-to-day professional lives. One of them is to adapt: 27% of the employees surveyed say they would stay in their job and adapt to changes if they thought their employer was quiet cutting. Another 10% would step up their efforts to avoid finding themselves in the hot seat.

Conversely, 18% of those surveyed said they would get ahead of the game and resign before being driven out. But the vast majority of respondents would engage in dialogue – 24% would speak to their line manager, and 20% to their company’s HR department.

In some cases, just letting HR or your manager know that you’re aware of what’s going on is enough to improve the situation or find a mutually satisfactory solution. But the damage is often done: quiet cutting contributes to a toxic working atmosphere, where mistrust reigns.

Some 80% of employees who have been in environments where quiet cutting is occurring say they feel less trust or loyalty towards their employer, while 58% feel their wellbeing suffers.

Companies must, therefore, bear in mind that this practice can be counterproductive, and even legally questionable, since being pushed out in this way can lead to cases of discrimination or harassment.

If you think you are a victim of quiet cutting, don’t hesitate to seek legal advice. This will enable you to know what steps to take and how to establish a plan of attack for the future.