What's more terrifying than resignation is that employees are "quietly quitting their jobs".

Fast Reading

• "Quiet quitting" describes a situation where an employee is physically present at work but mentally disengaged. Employees no longer strive to exceed work requirements or voluntarily work overtime; they simply do what is expected of them and nothing more. It encompasses four dimensions: task detachment, occupational alienation, lack of workplace social connections, and boundary setting. McKinsey estimates that the cost of this phenomenon can reach up to 4% of the total payroll of large enterprises.
• Young employees and new hires are the high - risk groups for "quiet quitting". The relationship between "quiet quitting" and the intention to leave is relatively weak, which confirms its essence: a strategy of "staying but not being engaged". It is no longer sufficient for organizations to only focus on "getting employees more involved in tasks"; they also need to pay attention to employees' multi - dimensional psychological needs, such as interpersonal relationships, work meaning, and work - life boundaries.

"Quiet quitting" is a workplace phenomenon that has attracted much attention in recent years and frequently appears in social media and public discussions. However, the academic community has long lacked a clear definition and a unified theoretical framework for this concept. This study reconceptualizes "quiet quitting" as a multi - dimensional psychological withdrawal state, arguing that it goes beyond simple task detachment. The study found that this state is significantly related to employees' mental health and work performance, and is more prevalent among young employees and new hires. This study provides a clear conceptual positioning and empirical tools for understanding and addressing this emerging workplace phenomenon.

From TikTok to LinkedIn, the term "quiet quitting" has quickly gained popularity on social media in the past few years. It does not describe employees actually submitting their resignations but rather a more covert state: the person is still at work, but their heart has already left. Employees no longer aim to exceed work requirements or voluntarily work overtime; they simply do what is expected of them and nothing more. An estimate by McKinsey shows that the cost of this "quiet quitting" phenomenon based on detachment could reach up to 4% of the total payroll of large enterprises. For organizations, this is undoubtedly a signal that cannot be ignored.

Although "quiet quitting" remains popular in public discourse, the academic community's understanding of its essence is rather vague. Is it simply "lack of dedication", or is it a more complex psychological and behavioral pattern? How does it differ from and relate to existing concepts such as job burnout and work withdrawal? Existing measurement tools, such as the widely used Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES), mainly focus on the degree of employees' engagement in their work, but fail to capture other key aspects involved in "quiet quitting", such as employees' social relationships with colleagues, work motivation, and their resistance to the "work - first" culture. In the face of the lack of discussion on "quiet quitting" in the current literature, research teams from the University of Minnesota and the City University of New York conducted this study to provide a theoretically sound and operationally measurable multi - dimensional framework.

The Four Dimensions of "Quiet Quitting": More Than Just "Lying Flat"

Based on a comprehensive review of academic papers and practical reports, the research team put forward a core view: "Quiet quitting" is a multi - dimensional psychological withdrawal that not only involves detachment from work tasks but also extends to alienation from colleagues, the organization, and even the entire concept of "work". Based on this, they constructed a conceptual framework consisting of four interrelated dimensions (see Table 1).

Table 1: The Four - Dimensional Framework of "Quiet Quitting"

It is worth noting that boundary setting itself may be a healthy self - protection behavior. However, when it appears simultaneously with the detachment in the other three dimensions, it becomes part of the broader phenomenon of "quiet quitting". The uniqueness of this framework lies in that it goes beyond the limitations of traditional engagement research, which only focuses on the relationship between "people and tasks", and takes into account the relationships between "people and colleagues", "people and the organization", and "people and work itself".

Why Do Employees Choose to "Quietly Quit"?

To explain the psychological mechanism behind "quiet quitting", the researchers cited four classic organizational behavior theories:

(1) Social exchange theory

There is an implicit "reciprocal" relationship between employees and the organization. When employees feel supported and recognized by the organization, they will respond with higher engagement and commitment; conversely, if they feel ignored or exploited, they will reduce their efforts.

(2) Psychological contract theory

Employees have a series of unwritten expectations for the employment relationship (such as career development opportunities and fair treatment). When these expectations are broken, that is, when the psychological contract is violated, employees will feel disappointed and betrayed, and then "retaliate" by reducing their engagement.

(3) Equity theory

Employees compare their input - output ratio with that of others. When they feel that they are putting in more but getting less, a sense of unfairness will arise, and reducing work effort is one way to restore psychological balance.

(4) Communal vs. exchange relationships theory

In a communal relationship, people give based on their concern for others without considering immediate rewards. "Quiet quitting" represents a shift from this communal relationship to a pure exchange relationship - "I'll do as much work as you pay me for", and employees are no longer willing to provide additional emotional investment for the organization or colleagues.

From the perspective of these four theories, "quiet quitting" can be understood as a rational, intentional, and psychologically based recalibration by employees in response to unmet expectations, perceived unfairness, and the breakdown of the organizational and social exchange relationship.

Tracking the "Silent Signals" with Data

To verify the above - mentioned theoretical framework, the research team conducted rigorous empirical research.

First, based on a literature review, the researchers wrote 5 questions for each of the four dimensions, forming a 20 - item multi - dimensional quiet quitting scale (MQQ). Then, they recruited 114 working adults to evaluate the content validity of the scale to ensure that each item accurately reflects the dimension it belongs to.

On this basis, the researchers recruited 124 full - time professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States and conducted a 10 - week follow - up survey. At the beginning of the study, in addition to completing the MQQ scale, the participants also completed a Big Five personality test and an assessment of their job burnout level. In the subsequent 10 weeks, the participants were required to report their emotions, stress, job satisfaction, and work effectiveness via their mobile phones every day. This method was used to capture the individual differences and outcomes of different employees regarding "quiet quitting", rather than the emotional fluctuations of the same employee over different periods.

To test the stability of the scale structure, the researchers recruited another 290 working people on an independent online platform and conducted a confirmatory factor analysis on the MQQ scale. The results showed that the four - factor model had the best fit, strongly supporting the multi - dimensional structure of "quiet quitting".

Who Is More Likely to "Quietly Quit"?

The study revealed a series of antecedent variables related to "quiet quitting". The results showed that age, responsibility, personality, work role, and job satisfaction all affect a person's tendency to "quietly quit" (see Table 2).

Table 2: Who Is More Likely to "Quietly Quit"?

Note: "Negative" means that the higher the value of the variable, the lower the tendency to "quietly quit"; "Positive" means that the higher the value of the variable, the higher the tendency to "quietly quit".

During the follow - up survey, the assessment of factors related to participants' job satisfaction, stress, and work efficiency was conducted after the participants completed the MQQ scale, so the assessment results can be inferred as the consequences of "quiet quitting". The research results found that employees who "quietly quit" not only showed stronger feelings of job burnout, stress, and negative emotions but also had lower self - reported work effectiveness and lower performance evaluation scores from the organization. This finding indicates that "quiet quitting" is not just a subjective feeling but will actually affect observable work outputs. At the same time, the relationship between "quiet quitting" and the intention to leave is relatively weak, which exactly confirms the essence of "quiet quitting": a strategy of "staying but not being engaged" rather than a prelude to "actively leaving".

Another key finding of the study is that the MQQ scale showed incremental validity beyond the traditional Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) in predicting the above - mentioned results. For example, after controlling for the influence of UWES scores, the four dimensions of the MQQ could still additionally explain 10% of the variance in job satisfaction, 15% in burnout, and 6% in stress (i.e., the range of change). This means that conceptualizing "quiet quitting" as a multi - dimensional construct can capture important information that traditional engagement research has overlooked.

If "slacking off at work" is a guerrilla war launched by workers in the gaps of the workplace, then "quiet quitting" is a "cold war" in terms of mindset. The core of "quiet quitting" lies in "silence", which reshapes the rules and boundaries of the workplace silently. It starts with the fading of work enthusiasm, the questioning of work meaning, the alienation from colleagues, and the insistence on work - life boundaries. It is a traceable withdrawal pattern - withdrawing from work tasks, from professional missions, from colleague relationships, and from the always - online culture. It seems silent only because we haven't learned to listen to its voice.

The value of this study is that it provides us with a set of "stethoscopes" - a theoretically clear and empirically effective multi - dimensional framework and measurement tool. It reminds every manager and organizational leader that if they are willing to measure what really matters, listen, rebuild trust, and bridge the gaps, those employees who are quietly drifting away may still be called back.

Management Insights

Go beyond the tasks themselves and pay attention to employees' multi - dimensional psychological needs

This study provides valuable practical guidance for organizations that hope to reduce "quiet quitting" and improve employees' engagement and well - being.

Traditional engagement surveys that only focus on "task - related engagement" are no longer sufficient to explain employees' mindset of "quietly quitting" from work. The two dimensions of "lack of workplace social connections" and "boundary setting" in the "quiet quitting" scale capture key factors in the workplace, such as "interpersonal relationships" and "work - life balance", which are often overlooked. These factors are important variables that affect employees' satisfaction, burnout, and stress. Therefore, the MQQ scale provides a more refined diagnostic tool to help managers identify potential problems in employees' social connections and boundary setting.

In other words, if an organization wants to improve employees' state, it cannot only focus on "getting employees more involved in tasks" but also needs to consider more multi - dimensional psychological needs. For example, the organization can enhance employees' sense of social integration through team - building activities, mentorship programs, and creating an inclusive and supportive culture. However, it should be noted that these activities should be arranged during working hours as much as possible to avoid encroaching on employees' personal lives. For employees with a tendency to "quietly quit", it is crucial to support their work - life balance. The organization can consider continuing to provide flexible work arrangements and remote work options.

Young employees and new employees are a group worthy of special attention. Organizations should customize engagement strategies for them, such as providing clear career development paths and promotion opportunities to motivate them to continuously invest in their work.

This article is rewritten from: Expanding Our Understanding of Quiet Quitting: Antecedents, Correlates, and Consequences [J]. Human Resource Management, 2025(0): 1 - 26.

Original Authors

Stephan Dilchert Associate Professor, Baruch College, City University of New York

Kevin C. Stanek Founder of preValio LLC Consulting Company, Researcher at the University of Minnesota

Deniz S. Ones Professor at the University of Minnesota

Rewriter

Simayueling Visiting Scholar at the University of Texas at Dallas

This article is from the WeChat official account "Fudan Business Knowledge" (ID: BKfudan), written by Simayueling et al., edited by Sean, and published by 36Kr with authorization.