Factors Causing Quiet Quitting in Generation Z: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The phenomenon of quiet quitting reflects the behavior of workers who only perform tasks according to the job description without emotional involvement or commitment to the organization. Although often considered a symptom of disengagement, this phenomenon appears to be increasingly common among Generation Z of the young workforce group that is growing up in the digital age and the crisis of the meaning of work. Along with the increasing prevalence of anxiety, stress, and emotional exhaustion in this generation, the term Anxious Generation emerged to describe their psychological state. This article is a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) that aims to analyze the relationship between quiet quitting, work-life balance, and workload to the emergence of anxiety in Generation Z in the world of work. The search was conducted on the Publish Perish, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and 2020–2025 databases. Of the 45 articles identified, 18 met the inclusion criteria and were the thematically analyzed. The results show that quiet quitting can double as a coping mechanism against stress and work-life imbalance, but also as an indicator of disengagement that exacerbates work anxiety. Excessive workload, high organizational expectations, and weak social support reinforce this effect. Thus, quiet quitting among Generation Z cannot be understood solely as a motivational phenomenon, but rather as a mirror of the psychosocial dynamics of the generation that is prone to anxiety and uncertainty. This study emphasizes the importance of organizational interventions that balance the demands of work with the psychological well-being of the younger generation.