Google's 'Quiet Hiring' Method Is Excellent for Employers, But Dangerous for Employees Who 'Quiet Quit' A little-known but extremely effective strategy hurts employees who don't go the extra mile.

By Amanda Breen

VioletaStoimenova | Getty Images

By now, you've heard about "quiet quitting," the phenomenon of employees committing to not doing the extra work that goes completely unnoticed. And you may have even heard about "quiet firing," where employers treat employees poorly so that they'll leave.

But "quiet hiring" is something else entirely.

"Quiet hiring" is the recruiting strategy used by Google that's little-known but extremely effective — just not for those employees who aren't willing to go the extra mile.

Related: 'Dream Jobs Are DEAD': Quiet Quitting is the TikTok Trend Encouraging Employees to Take It Easy at Work

Essentially, "quiet hiring" means honing in on employees who are already going above and beyond, perhaps even taking on additional responsibilities that prove they have what it takes to excel in a given role, according to Inc.

Studies show that high-achievers can produce 400% more than the average employee, so from a business perspective, prioritizing them from the start just makes sense.

Google's "quiet hiring" isn't just limited to internal employees, either. Per Inc., Google's hiring committee, which consists of five or six Google employees, judges each candidate on five "key aspects," two of which are internal references and employee testimonials. The idea is to significantly reduce the risk of a bad hire.

So what about all of the "quiet quitters?" It'll be much harder for them to land a job at Google or a company with similar values. Employees who only do what's asked of them all the time might seem content where they are, getting overlooked for that promotion or raise in the process.

Related: 3 Ways to Avoid the Quiet Quitting of Your Gen Z Employees

But, in some sense, "quiet hiring" gives the power back to employees who want to move forward in their careers and earn more money (that is, if they actually work for a company that rewards their stellar performance).

Amanda Breen

Entrepreneur Staff

Features Writer

Amanda Breen is a features writer at Entrepreneur.com. She is a graduate of Barnard College and received an MFA in writing at Columbia University, where she was a news fellow for the School of the Arts.

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