The emergence of “quiet quitting” marks a significant shift in employee behavior, wherein individuals consciously limit their work contributions to strictly defined job roles, avoiding discretionary efforts or extra-role engagements. Unlike formal resignations, quiet quitting reflects a form of psychological disengagement that is more difficult to detect yet highly detrimental to organizational functioning. This conceptual paper explores the quiet quitting phenomenon through the lens of Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB), which encompasses voluntary, non-rewarded behaviors that contribute to organizational effectiveness, such as helping colleagues, showing initiative, or exhibiting organizational loyalty.

We argue that the rise in quiet quitting signals a withdrawal of OCB and propose that this behavior is influenced by a range of antecedents, including perceived organizational support, fairness perceptions, psychological contract breach, job satisfaction, and leadership style. Drawing on foundational theories such as Social Exchange Theory, Self-Determination Theory, and Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) Model, we synthesize existing literature to build a conceptual framework that explains how workplace environments may inadvertently foster disengagement and OCB decline.

The paper offers practical insights for human resource professionals and leaders by emphasizing the need for inclusive work cultures, authentic leadership, and strategic interventions to revive employee engagement and discretionary behaviors. By reconceptualizing quiet quitting as an OCB withdrawal, this study contributes to contemporary discourse on employee behavior and provides a foundation for future empirical investigations in organizational psychology and human resource management