The Phenomenon of Quiet Quitting: A Scoping Review

The discourse of quiet quitting has recently emerged and become increasingly popular in social and public media. The phenomenon refers to situations in which employees do not want to undertake extra work responsibilities and only fulfil essential work requirements to maintain their employment. Academic interest in quiet quitting behaviour has also precipitated a significant increase in the number of publications over the last 2 years. This exploratory study investigated extant literature to discover the meaning, trends, motivations, consequences and theories associated with quiet quitting. To build research knowledge, a scoping review was conducted to examine the emergence of quiet quitting in the nascent academic literature. Twenty-five published academic articles were included in the analysis. The findings indicate that while quiet quitting appears to share similarities with many other established workplace phenomena, they are not the same. Quiet quitting has distinct underlying notions that should not be confused with other workplace phenomena. Toxic workplace cultures, inadequate remuneration, and decreased employee well-being all contributed to individuals’ engagement with quiet quitting behaviour. While quiet quitting challenges organisational productivity and innovation capabilities, it also provides opportunities for employees to regain their work-life balance and for organisations to reflect on their current managerial practices. The findings also show that social exchange theory, psychological contract theory, and equity theory are the most common analytical frameworks used to explain quiet quitting. The present research contributes several theoretical and practical insights that illuminate the understanding of this new phenomenon in contemporary workplaces.