This study aims to examine the influences of employee’s capital (e.g. economic, cultural and social) and habitus (e.g. personal and social-focused values, attitudes towards the organisation and career expectations) on quiet quitting and job security.
A sample of 1,127 US employees from different organisations, industries, states and regions was analysed using PLS-SEM.
Employee’s capital strongly influences her/his/their habitus, and her/his/their habitus strongly impacts quiet quitting. The habitus predominantly mediates the influence of capital on quiet quitting. In contrast, the direct effect of capital on job security is stronger than their mediated effects through the habitus. The impact of the habitus is stronger on quiet quitting than job security.
The research is a cross-sectional study. Future research may use, among others, multiple correspondence decision analysis, sequence analysis and network analysis. In addition, future studies may disentangle the workplace and off-workplace influences.
As the habitus strongly influences quiet quitting, managers may positively influence attitudes and expectations. Managers may use employee positioning to target practices. However, the effects of capital on employee outcomes may limit managerial impact.
This study derives employee perceptions about quiet quitting and job security from life-long workplace and off-workplace-lived experiences. Differential employee positioning impacts the employer–employee relationship.
