If you’ve been hearing the buzzword “quiet hiring” (or you’re engaging in it) you’re not alone. For many reasons, leaders are opting to recruit internally and/or create expanded roles for existing employees instead of hiring outside.

What we aren’t hearing is that quiet hiring is about a leader’s prioritization of what is absolutely critical and then building teams to reflect those priorities.

And that should be anything but quiet.

Here’s why leaders should get loud about their quiet hiring moves and how to do it well.

1. It makes business priorities visible – and that’s good for employees and the bottom line. 

Most leaders have important, yet lengthy, priority lists. The trouble is, “priority overload” can fuel the flames of burnout and spread teams too thin. Instead of asking their teams, “What can we do?” leaders have to ask, “What must we do?”

Answering that question means being loud and clear about your purpose and priorities – and making sure team members are organized around them. Equally important is making sure they feel honored and valued for being selected – rather than overloaded or burned out.

Unfortunately, only 41% of U.S. employees strongly agree that they know what their company stands for and worse, only 22% of employees strongly agree the leaders in their organization have a clear direction for the organization.

Key Takeaway: Be sure your employees understand their unique role in achieving your company’s goals and creating a positive difference for the people you serve.

If they do, they will be better equipped to determine which objectives are most crucial and weed out low-value busy work that would only delay progress on what really matters.

2. It requires clear communication, which builds trust and drives results.

A study conducted by McKinsey & Company found that companies that clearly communicate their priorities to employees are 1.8 times more likely to achieve their goals than companies that do not. Similarly, the Gallup Q12 survey found that employees who know what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the company’s goals are more engaged and productive.

Key Takeaway: When communicating priorities, it’s important to be clear and concise – go for clarity over complexity. Make sure your priorities are aligned with the organization’s overall strategic goals. This will help ensure that everyone is working towards the same objectives and prioritize the most important tasks.

Most importantly, keep the conversation ongoing. Communicating priorities isn’t a one-time event. Check in regularly with your team to make sure priorities are still aligned and adjust them as needed.

3. When done well, quiet hiring demonstrates a commitment to training.

There are opportunities for people inside your organization to step up and fill crucial roles. But we can’t just move someone who is skilled at sales to marketing – they have to be developed. 

The good news is, employee development drives employee engagement. Gallup’s Q12 engagement survey shows one of the top 12 drivers of employee motivation and engagement at work is being able to say, “There is someone at work who encourages my development.” 

Yet Gallup data shows an average of four in 10 people feel neither their manager nor anyone else is looking out for their development. A mere one percent of those who have no mentor are able to achieve real engagement at work. Conversely, two-thirds of employees who report having someone at work who encourages their development are classified as “engaged.” 

These statistics indicate that having a mentor and being trained and developed at work are fundamental, and something team members anticipate when they are hired (quietly or not).

Key Takeaway: Be sure team members you quietly hire are developed to excel at their new or expanded roles.

You will walk away as a leading boss who uses innovative new strategies to get priorities done.