Employee quiet quitting from the perspective of engagement, affective commitment, and remote work preferences: the role of managerial support

Purpose I dedicated the study to employee quiet quitting (QQ) syndrome and present here my operationalization of QQ as concurrent low engagement and affective organizational commitment. I analyzed determinants such as supportive leadership style, remote work preference, and the employee’s inclination to change jobs. Design/methodology/approach I conducted the survey using the CAWI method with a representative sample, from which I extracted 314 working respondents for further analysis. I verified seven hypotheses based on the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and a multiple regression analysis. Findings People who display QQ syndrome are young, have no managerial support, and plan to change jobs within the next year. There is also a negative relation between concurrent high engagement, affective commitment, and the lacking possibility of the preferred remote mode of working, which relates to willingness to change jobs with a higher salary. Research limitations/implications The main limitations related to the respondents’ subjectivity and the research sample. A qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with both employees and employers would be an interesting source of information on QQ. It is worthwhile to analyze the quantitative data by testing the model through confirmatory path analysis. I recommend developing a supportive leadership style. The material motivators do not guarantee a QQ reduction. To maintain a high engagement and commitment, employees should receive managerial support and be allowed to work remotely. Originality/value At the methodological level, the study contributes the proposed operationalization of QQ for use in further research. The empirical contribution lies in providing data confirming the importance of leadership and remote work preferences as potential determinants of the QQ phenomenon. The obtained results support the development of solutions to prevent its occurrence.