Authors :
Wafiyah Karamath Basha; Bharti Pathania
Volume/Issue :
Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 7 - July
Google Scholar :
https://tinyurl.com/9ca4na2x
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25jul273
Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.
Note : Google Scholar may take 30 to 40 days to display the article.
Abstract :
The phenomenon of “quiet quitting” has gained significant attention in contemporary organizational discourse,
particularly in the post-pandemic era marked by economic uncertainty and evolving workforce expectations. This literature
review explores quiet quitting as a psychologically driven, multifaceted response to prolonged workplace stressors, job
constraints, and unmet emotional and motivational needs. Anchored in theoretical frameworks such as the Job Demands-
Resources model, Conservation of Resources theory, Self-Determination Theory, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the
review investigates how burnout, emotional exhaustion, perceptions of unfairness, and lack of psychological safety
contribute to the passive withdrawal by the employees. Additionally, the review examines how macro-level influences—such
as toxic workplace cultures, the Great Resignation, and shifting values among Generation Z—intersect with individual-level
factors to exacerbate disengagement. The findings underscore that quiet quitting is not merely a trend popularized by social
media or indicator of laziness but a coping mechanism emerging from structural and psychological constraints. This review
concludes by offering evidence-based recommendations for organizational leaders to address the root causes of
disengagement through cultural, structural, and psychological interventions aimed at fostering resilience, equity, and
sustainable engagement in the workplace.
Keywords :
Quiet Quitting, Workplace Disengagement, Employee Burnout, Organizational Behavior, Post Pandemic Workplace.
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The phenomenon of “quiet quitting” has gained significant attention in contemporary organizational discourse,
particularly in the post-pandemic era marked by economic uncertainty and evolving workforce expectations. This literature
review explores quiet quitting as a psychologically driven, multifaceted response to prolonged workplace stressors, job
constraints, and unmet emotional and motivational needs. Anchored in theoretical frameworks such as the Job Demands-
Resources model, Conservation of Resources theory, Self-Determination Theory, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the
review investigates how burnout, emotional exhaustion, perceptions of unfairness, and lack of psychological safety
contribute to the passive withdrawal by the employees. Additionally, the review examines how macro-level influences—such
as toxic workplace cultures, the Great Resignation, and shifting values among Generation Z—intersect with individual-level
factors to exacerbate disengagement. The findings underscore that quiet quitting is not merely a trend popularized by social
media or indicator of laziness but a coping mechanism emerging from structural and psychological constraints. This review
concludes by offering evidence-based recommendations for organizational leaders to address the root causes of
disengagement through cultural, structural, and psychological interventions aimed at fostering resilience, equity, and
sustainable engagement in the workplace.
Keywords :
Quiet Quitting, Workplace Disengagement, Employee Burnout, Organizational Behavior, Post Pandemic Workplace.