What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to systematically examine the concept of quiet quitting, defining and analyzing its implications in contemporary workplaces.

June 10, 2026Open Access

Quiet quitting in the contemporary workplace discourse: a systematic literature review of antecedents, sectoral dynamics, and strategic interventions

Key Points

This research aims to systematically examine the concept of quiet quitting, defining and analyzing its implications in contemporary workplaces.
Conducted a systematic literature review of 50 empirical studies from 2023 to 2025 that specifically use the term 'quiet quitting'.
Applied the PRISMA methodology for organizing and reviewing literature across multiple sectors.
Identified antecedents of quiet quitting at micro, meso, and macro levels, and highlighted sector-specific patterns.
Quiet quitting is characterized by intentional, self-regulatory behaviors that limit discretionary effort while maintaining core task performance.
Few studies utilized established theoretical frameworks, indicating a significant gap in the literature.
An integrative multi-level framework was proposed, incorporating theories like TPB, SDT, JD-R, and COR to guide future research.

Abstract

Abstract The rise of the term “quiet quitting” has generated growing scholarly and practitioner attention to a set of workplace behaviors in the post-pandemic workforce. These behaviors are commonly characterized by reduced discretionary effort and role-bound performance. Rather than reviewing disengagement-related behaviors broadly, this study systematically examines research that explicitly adopts the label “quiet quitting”. The aim is to understand how this concept has been defined, operationalized, and discussed in contemporary literature. Although the terminology is recent, quiet quitting (QQ) overlaps with established withdrawal-related behaviors such as disengagement, reduced organizational citizenship behavior, and burnout. However, literature distinguishes QQ in important ways: it is typically portrayed as intentional and self-regulatory, involving boundary-setting around work effort, whereas traditional withdrawal behaviors are often conceptualized as involuntary or symptomatic. Employees engaging in QQ maintain core task performance and organizational membership while limiting discretionary or extra-role effort. This pattern reflects a post-pandemic shift in subjective norms around work and greater emphasis on mental health, work-life balance, and rejection of overwork. This paper presents a systematic review of 50 empirical studies published between 2023 and 2025 that explicitly use the quiet quitting label. The review consolidated insights across multiple sectors and global contexts. Using the PRISMA methodology, this review identified key antecedents of quiet quitting at the micro (individual), meso (organizational), and macro (societal) levels. It further highlighted sector-specific patterns in healthcare, hospitality, and information technology, and synthesized the outcomes of quiet quitting in these sectors. A critical finding is that only a handful of studies explicitly applied established theoretical frameworks, such as Conservation of Resources (COR), Social Exchange Theory (SET), and Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model. This fragmentation suggests a significant theoretical gap in current literature. By focusing specifically on the quiet quitting discourse, this study offers the first comprehensive, sector-wide review in the QQ domain. It mapped thematic developments since 2022 and proposes an integrative multi-level framework grounded in TPB, SDT, JD-R, and COR theories. Finally, the review outlines targeted organizational interventions to re-engage the workforce and concludes by offering practical implications and directions for future research in this area.

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