Quiet quitting culture as covert organizational resistance: a sociological reading of contemporary work
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51247/pdlc.v7iEspecial1.991Keywords:
quiet quitting; organizational resistance; workplace dignity; job demands-resources; organizational citizenship behavior; sociology of workAbstract
This reflective article aimed to examine quiet quitting as a form of covert organizational resistance, rather than interpreting it as a motivational deficit or a transient generational trend. A qualitative research approach was developed, based on a critical and interpretive analysis of recent literature on quiet quitting and the contributions of classical and contemporary sociology of work related to resistance, labor dignity, and social exchange theory. Published sources were treated as primary material for conceptual analysis, without resorting to statistical verification procedures. The results showed that quiet quitting reproduces historically documented patterns of everyday, low-visibility resistance by substituting open confrontation with the silent establishment of boundaries in contexts characterized by job insecurity, limited capacity for collective voice, and imbalances in the reciprocity of organizational citizenship. Furthermore, it was shown that this practice constitutes a rational response to work environments where surveillance, algorithmic control, and precarious employment increase the costs of explicit resistance. It is concluded that quiet quitting should be understood as a contemporary form of organizational communication and symbolic negotiation of dignity at work, rather than as a manifestation of individual disinterest. This broadens its theoretical understanding and provides a useful analytical framework for the sociology of organizations, human resource management, labor relations, and work psychology
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