Workplace antecedents of quiet quitting behavior: Insights from graduate workers in India

Drawing on the theoretical framework of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), our study aims to consider how workplace antecedents of perceived quiet firing (also known as involuntary attrition), perceived co-worker support, and experience (tenure at an organization) may influence quiet quitting behavior. Data were collected via questionnaire responses from 209 workers in India who had graduated from university within the last 7 years. The findings show that (1) perceived quiet firing is positively associated with quiet quitting; (2) perceived co-worker support is negatively associated with quiet quitting; (3) experience moderates the positive association between perceived quiet firing and quiet quitting in such a way that the relationship is weaker as one’s tenure at an organization increases; and (4) experience does not moderate the negative association between perceived co-worker support and quiet quitting. The study’s contributions come from understanding how the interplay of demands (i.e., perceived quiet firing) and resources (i.e., perceived co-worker support and experience) determine quiet quitting behaviors in the workplace. Additionally, the temporal dimension of experience facilitates the acquisition of organizational-specific knowledge and resources. In contrast, perceptions of co-worker support appear specific to a given point in time. Policy implications come from providing guidance to organizations on how to reduce quiet quitting behaviors by ensuring that the resources available to employees exceed the demands placed on them.