The ethical dilemma of quiet quitting at work: a LinkedIn-based netnographic analysis

Purpose In the post-pandemic world of work, a new workplace phenomenon that emerged was “quiet quitting.” Quiet quitting involves a bare minimum effort at work without formally quitting. The phenomenon is being hailed as a new form of silent work revolution across the globe. This study aims to understand these changing work values through the perspective of the workers, using a netnographic analysis of LinkedIn posts. Design/methodology/approach A netnography approach was adopted for the study, using LinkedIn data. Total 319 posts related to quiet quitting were captured using the NCapture tool. NVivo 14 software was used for coding and analysis. A qualitative follow-up using semistructured interviews was conducted to further triangulate the findings. Findings Content analysis of the data revealed interesting insights showcasing the five broad themes that contribute to the quiet quitting mindset. Generation Z-based text query further divulged into the ideology of this generation. The sentiment analysis revealed both positive and negative opinions toward the phenomenon. Practical implications Organizations need to adapt policies and practices to align with evolving workforce expectations, particularly around work−life balance, meaningful work and employee well-being. Managers should play a greater role in facilitating worker expectations in the new era of work. Originality/value Quiet quitting is a recent yet remarkable workplace event. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is one of the first to use LinkedIn data to understand quiet quitting, providing insights directly from workers’ perspectives. It presents the multidimensional aspects of quiet quitting behavior and ties together emerging literature on Generation Z with the phenomenon.