Quiet quitting during COVID-19: the role of psychological empowerment

Abstract Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese university lecturers have experienced increased levels of disappointment and powerlessness due to the changing work environment. An increasing number of lecturers exhibit quiet-quitting intention, which affects their work passion, teaching quality, and so on. However, it is little known about how work-related factors, influence quiet-quitting intention of lecturers. Drawing on the social exchange theory, this study proposes a conceptual model that investigates the effects of work overload, perceived career development opportunities, perceived pay-for performance, affective organizational commitment and work conditions on job burnout, employee well-being, and quiet-quitting intention. Using a quantitative cross-sectional approach, 698 responses were obtained from young Chinese university lecturers. We also employed partial least squares structural equation modeling to analyze and forecast the extent of the impact of this study’s independent variables. The findings revealed that work overload, perceived pay-for-performance, affective organizational commitment, and work conditions significantly affect job burnout and employee well-being. Additionally, job burnout and employee well-being significantly effect quiet-quitting intention, which are moderated by psychological empowerment. Overall, this study contributes to the understanding of the factors influencing quiet-quitting intention among Chinese university lecturers, providing theoretical and practical implications for addressing the challenges arising from the Covid-19 pandemic.