As economic pressures mount and external hiring slows, more organisations are turning to a growing trend known as "quiet hiring"—filling roles internally without publicly advertising them. On the surface, this seems efficient: companies save time, retain talent, and reward existing employees. But beneath the surface lies a critical question for equity and inclusion: who gets access to these informal opportunities—and who doesn’t?
The idea of promoting from within isn’t new. Internal mobility has long been seen as a way to retain skilled staff and keep institutional knowledge in-house. But what makes quiet hiring different is the lack of transparency. Roles are filled through private conversations, tap-on-the-shoulder selections, or hidden networks. There’s no job board, no application process, and often no clear criteria. That’s where inclusion risks begin.
Hidden Opportunities, Unequal Access
In theory, quiet hiring should benefit everyone on the inside. In practice, it often reinforces existing inequalities. Research shows that underrepresented employees—especially women, disabled staff, LGBTQ+ workers, and people from ethnic minority backgrounds—are less likely to benefit from informal advancement.
Why? Because they’re less likely to be in the room when those decisions are made. They may not have the same social capital or visibility as others, especially in hybrid or remote environments. And when processes rely on "gut feeling" or manager discretion, unconscious bias can creep in quickly.
A 2024 Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) survey found that only 28% of employees from minority backgrounds felt confident that internal hiring decisions in their workplace were fair. In contrast, 57% of white employees said they trusted the same processes.
Inclusion Needs Transparency
Quiet hiring isn’t inherently problematic. It becomes problematic when it replaces open, competitive, and fair internal recruitment processes. Every employee should have a chance to apply for a stretch assignment or promotion—not just those who know the right people or happen to be in the office on the right day.
Transparency is the cornerstone of equity. If a role is worth creating, it’s worth advertising internally. If it’s an opportunity worth offering, it should be worth offering to everyone. That’s not about bureaucracy—it’s about fairness.
Even well-meaning managers can fall into the trap of choosing the familiar over the best fit. Especially in high-pressure environments, it’s easy to reward visibility over capability. But this often leaves talented individuals—particularly those from underrepresented groups—overlooked, under-challenged, and disengaged.
A 2023 McKinsey report found that lack of transparency in career advancement was one of the top three reasons underrepresented employees left their roles.
Quiet Hiring in a Hybrid World
The rise of hybrid and remote work has only complicated the landscape. Visibility in a digital workplace is uneven. Those with caring responsibilities, disabilities, or who choose to work from home regularly may not be as physically present—but that doesn’t mean they lack ambition or potential.
In fact, hybrid work should be an opportunity to rethink how we assess potential. Quiet hiring that favours proximity over performance risks embedding old hierarchies in new environments.
To make quiet hiring inclusive, organisations must adopt structured and visible internal mobility policies. That means:
- Posting all roles internally, even if they’re short-term or project-based
- Encouraging managers to share opportunities widely
- Providing support for employees to express interest or apply
- Tracking who gets internal opportunities—and who doesn’t
The CIPD recommends that internal recruitment processes mirror external best practice: job descriptions, fair assessment, and feedback.
From Informal to Equitable
Quiet hiring doesn’t have to mean quiet exclusion. With the right checks and balances, it can be a tool for inclusion. But that requires intention. It means questioning who gets picked for stretch projects—and why. It means asking whether your current pipeline reflects the diversity of your organisation. And it means being honest about whether opportunity is genuinely accessible to all.
Companies that want to build equitable cultures must look beyond recruitment headlines and into their own hallways. Because if underrepresented employees see jobs being filled silently—without a chance to apply or compete—they don’t just miss out on opportunities. They lose trust.
And trust, once lost, is hard to win back.