Effects of workplace silence, quiet quitting, and quiet firing on employee turnover: evidence from the service industry

Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of workplace silence (WS), quiet quitting (QQ) and quiet firing (QF) on employee turnover (ET) in the service industry. It also examines the mediating influence of QQ) and QF on the interplay between WS and ET and the moderating role of psychological safety (PS). Design/methodology/approach A quantitative approach was adopted following a cross-sectional survey research design for data collection. Data was collected from 361 employees in the service industry operating in Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria and South Africa using a structured questionnaire. Data analysis involved descriptive statistics and variance-based structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS, version 4. Findings The findings show that WS exerts statistically significant direct effects on QQ and QF. The analysis of the effect size further reveals that WS has a substantial influence on QQ, while QQ and QF exert significant direct effects on ET. The findings from direct and specific indirect effects show that QQ and QF fully mediate the relationship between WS and ET. Originality/value This study addresses a critical gap in empirical research by examining the mediating roles of QQ and QF in the relationship between WS and ET within the selected service organisations in sub-Saharan Africa. It offers valuable insights into strategies for mitigating employee silence, QQ and QF, thereby contributing to the advancement of employee retention practices in the service industry.