*As originally seen on Forbes.com

We’re all clued into Quiet Quitting, where an employee does the bare minimum of work to keep their job. And now there’s a buzz about Quiet Firing.

But is it really a new concept?

It sounds a lot like Constructive Termination (CT) to me. CT is a practice that’s been around for centuries, where a boss removes responsibilities, status, connection to others, and more, in an attempt to get the employee to quit.

Is this happening to you or someone you care about?

If so, read on.

What To Do If You Think You’re Being Quietly Fired

First of all, I am not an employment attorney, so bear that in mind as you read below. If you are deeply concerned about this you’ll want to consult legal counsel before you consider the steps below.

1-Check In On Your Burnout Level – Are you feeling a bit fried? Demotivated? Not getting enough recovery time? Feeling isolated? Or super stressed? Or going through a lot of change? Likely you’re burned out. And that is going to affect your performance and put you in a position to more likely experience quiet firing. Use our Maneuvers of Consciousness infographic first, then our Outcome Frame one second to get clear on what you want, and how you want a conversation with your leader to pan out.

2-Be Your Own Advocate – Recently I was emailing on this subject with Leslie Tarnacki, SVP of Human Resources at WorkForce Software. She recommended you take the initiative and schedule meetings with both your manager and human resources to explain how you’re feeling. I find it’s helpful to be upfront if you’re feeling burned out or are being assigned too much (or too little) work. Bring a list of how you provide value to the organization and how you’d like to add even more. Check-in and see if what you think is valuable in your performance is actually perceived as such. If what you perceive as valuable isn’t indeed valued, ask how specifically you can add more value to the organization. Then co-create a plan with your leader to do so with clear expectations and timelines. Be sure to review our infographic Communication In Tricky Times so you have some tools to keep your cool in this conversation.

3-Keep Your Options Open – Based on how your meeting goes with your leader, start to consider a role change internally or externally. Sometimes a work relationship simply runs its course, as a love relationship can. Stay in outcome- vs problem-focus. Take care of your physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial self. Stay balanced and in gratitude. And see what comes up. Explore. This will help you feel empowered in what could be a destabilizing experience. Be sure to check in with your mentors, friends, and trusted advisors. It’s essential to understand your contribution to this situation, and to ‘clean up your side of the street’.

The Net-Net

· Quiet Firing, like Quiet Quitting, is a reality of today’s workplace. Best to understand it and be aware.

· If you feel it’s happening to you, take the initiative to gain clarity and course correct if possible.

· Be sure to manage your emotional state to ensure that regardless of the outcome your behavior is professional and on point.