“Silent Firing”: How Companies Are Pushing Employees Out to Make Way for AI
"Silent Firing": How Companies Are Pushing Employees Out to Make Way for AI
Silent firing is an emerging trend where employers indirectly pressure workers into quitting, allowing them to be replaced by artificial intelligence. Amid other workplace phenomena like “quiet quitting” and “rage applying,” silent firing is becoming a method for companies to navigate workforce changes driven by AI advancements.
Silent Firing: What It Is and How It Works
The concept of silent firing involves companies raising job demands to a level where employees feel compelled to leave due to pressure, rather than explicitly letting them go. Once these employees quit, businesses replace them with AI systems, according to The New York Post.
This practice has been observed at Amazon, claims George Kailas, CEO of Prospero.AI and contributor to Fast Company. He explains that Amazon has enforced a strict return-to-office policy, requiring employees to come in five days a week despite resistance from a majority of staff. A survey indicated that 73% of Amazon employees considered quitting due to this policy. Kailas suggests that while remote work has been shown to boost productivity, companies are using rigid office mandates to reduce retention rates without paying severance.
The Implications of AI in the Workplace
The trend of silent firing is occurring as businesses explore the potential of AI to replace human roles. However, there are limitations to AI’s capabilities. MIT economist Daron Acemoglu estimates that only 5% of jobs could be fully or partially replaced by AI within the next decade. “A lot of money is going to get wasted,” Acemoglu noted in an interview with Bloomberg. He cautioned that AI technology is not yet advanced enough to deliver a large-scale economic transformation, as it lacks the reliability to execute many tasks previously done by humans.
Growing Concerns Over Job Security and Workplace Trends
As the adoption of AI accelerates, concerns are mounting about job security. Simultaneously, employees, especially Gen Z, are expressing dissatisfaction over issues such as work-life balance and income inequality. This discontent has given rise to trends like the “Great Detachment,” a play on the Great Depression, signifying a decline in employee engagement. Data shows a 5% drop in engagement among Gen Z and younger millennials, with nearly three in ten workers reportedly disengaged in their roles.
Silent firing represents another shift in the evolving workplace, where the impacts of AI and shifting work cultures are reshaping the job landscape.
