Quiet quitting: a new wine in an old bottle?

Abstract

Purpose

Just as the Covid-19 pandemic has hit all areas of life, it has also hit the working life. Towards the end of the pandemic period, the concept of quiet quitting entered people's lives. The phenomenon of quiet quitting has been introduced as a brand new concept in the mainstream media and social media in general. The primary objective of this study is to investigate and define the emerging phenomenon of quiet quitting. Furthermore, this study aims to compare this novel phenomenon with other established theoretical approaches in the field of management.

Design/methodology/approach

This review study specifically examines the concept of quiet quitting, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of this phenomenon.

Findings

Contrary to popular belief, the phenomenon of “quiet quitting” is not a recent or trendy occurrence. Instead, it has persisted for numerous years and is intertwined with various theories such as motivation, commitment, engagement and social exchange theory.

Practical implications

This study provides employers, managers, HR practitioners with recommendations on how to address the employee's quiet quitting behavior.

Originality/value

This study represents a pioneering work that explores an uncharted territory, the phenomenon of quiet quitting. The authors demonstrated and relate the historical processes of management theories to the phenomenon of quiet quitting, which is a concept that appears to lack roots.

Citation

Atalay, M. and Dağıstan, U. (2023), "Quiet quitting: a new wine in an old bottle?", Personnel Review, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-02-2023-0122