The concept of quiet quitting has become a hot topic of conversation in the workplace. According to a new study, it is not just about lazy employees or a demanding younger generation. Alexandre Sukhov, new docent in business administration at Karlstad Business School, is one of the authors behind the study.
Quiet quitting means that employees stop engaging more than necessary – they do their job, but nothing beyond that. The study “Exploring the role of information systems-induced depletion, boreout syndrome, social media use on quiet quitting among digital cohorts” shows that this is often a reaction to socio-technical stress in today’s digitalised work environments.
The study shows that two factors stand out:
- Boreout – a type of boredom and sense of meaninglessness at work
- IS-induced depletion – mental fatigue caused by overexposure to IT systems and constant digital presence
Alexandre Sukhov, why is this research important?
– Quiet quitting is highly relevant for employers and affects a wide range of organisations undergoing digitalisation. Quiet quitting is defined as an attitude where employees deliberately limit their work to meet only the minimum requirements needed to keep their job, while prioritising their own well-being over the goals of the organisation. Our research shows that quiet quitting can be triggered by digitalisation, as employees face new types of stress in the form of adapting to new information systems, combined with a sense of meaninglessness, lack of development opportunities and underutilisation of their existing skills.
– Our research is important because we highlight challenges with digitalisation, which is often described as the path to increased efficiency and productivity. This is an important reminder for managers in technology-intensive environments: streamlining through technology must be balanced with an understanding of people’s psychological work environment.
What would you say are the key findings of your research?
– Unlike previous research in this area, we found that digital immigrants – those who didn’t grow up with the technology, born before 1985 – are more vulnerable than the younger digital natives. We also discovered that it’s the configurations/interplay of social and technical challenges that lead to quiet quitting. The study shows that constant use of digital tools, combined with monotonous work tasks and lack of development opportunities, can contribute to employees losing motivation and simply leaning back.
Your research touches on the subjects of business administration, information systems and working life science – tell us more about the connection to these subjects
– In the study, we combine different perspectives and find ourselves at the intersection of these subjects. We examine the effects of digitalisation and the application of information systems. We create an understanding of how people behave at work – which is relevant to working life science. And we adopt a business administration perspective as we study the interaction between socio-technical factors to improve how companies manage limited resources.
In what way does this research strengthen Karlstad Business School?
– We contribute knowledge in the core subjects of Karlstad Business School and study a phenomenon of high societal relevance. Since this was an international project involving researchers from Turkey, Oman, the US and Sweden, we are also strengthening our international profile. As my main contribution was in data analysis, it also shows the value of our specialisations and research expertise.
Co-authors of the study
Dr. Abubakar, A. M. - Central Connecticut State University, CT, USA
Dr. Turunç, Ö. – Antalya Bilim University, Antalya, Türkiye
Dr. Soliman, M - Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
