Antecedents and consequences of quiet quitting: a systematic literature review

Existing research on quiet quitting (QQ) remains fragmented; there are studies treating QQ as reactive withdrawal behavior like burnout or engagement, and few papers have discussed this as proactive boundary setting. There is also minimal theoretical integration, which limits the field’s ability to develop coherent frameworks or evidence-based interventions. To fill in this lacuna, a systematic, transparent, and replicable literature review process was conducted based on 33 empirical studies using defined search, screening, and synthesis stages. Analysis suggests that, based on the themes that have emerged, key antecedents are clustered into three conceptually related categories: job, workplace dynamics, and organizational factors, with the social exchange and conservation of resources theories prevailing as theoretical underpinnings. Key mediators denote workplace stress and burnout, employee well-being and psychological states, work alienation, and organizational behavior. Moderators include only leadership and psychological safety. However, significant research gaps are evident in QQ research, as there are limited qualitative studies, while this phenomenon has not been examined in many cultural and industry contexts. In practice, our results may help service organizations and their managers by providing a framework for diagnosing QQ through its antecedents and mediators and developing targeted strategies to mitigate it.