"Silent Resistance or Strategic Withdrawal? Rethinking Employee Engagement in the Era of Quiet Quitting"

The new phenomenon of quiet quitting where employees intentionally constrain their work effort to their contractual terms without overpromising has emerged as a critical challenge for modern human resource management. This review paper critically analyzes the conceptual underpinnings of employee engagement and disengagement and examines quiet quitting as a quiet resistance or strategic withdrawal in the post-pandemic workplace. Building on prevalent theories like the Job Demands-Resources model and psychological empowerment, the paper integrates empirical and theoretical research to determine antecedents, manifestations, and organizational outcomes of quiet quitting. The paper further describes how conventional HR practices need to transform to deal with the roots of disengagement, such as burnout, work-life conflict, and changing employee aspirations. Integrating findings from recent studies and case studies, this review provides actionable recommendations to HR practitioners to boost authentic engagement, promote well-being, and minimize turnover risks in an evolving work environment. This synthesis contributes timely and relevant knowledge to employee behavior dynamics understanding and responsive HR policy-making.