AI Insight
This study examined how job creep (expanding workload beyond original job scope) influences quiet quitting behavior among 386 manufacturing employees in Turkey. Results showed that increased job creep significantly increases quiet quitting behavior, and this relationship is moderated by servant leadership, meaning that servant leadership can buffer the negative effects of excessive workload on employee disengagement. While servant leadership alone did not directly reduce quiet quitting, it weakened the link between perceived workload expansion and withdrawal behaviors.
Why it matters
The findings suggest that organizations can reduce quiet quitting by implementing servant leadership practices that help balance workload expectations, particularly in manufacturing settings where job creep may be common. This has practical implications for managers seeking to maintain employee engagement when workloads inevitably expand.
Understand the Science
This study aims to examine the organizational and managerial factors influencing employees’ quiet quitting behavior. In this context, the study investigates the effect of job creep on quiet quitting and the moderating role of servant leadership in this relationship. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected via a survey of 386 employees working at manufacturing firms in the Karaman Organized Industrial Zone. Using SPSS, the collected data were analyzed for reliability and correlation, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted; hypotheses were tested using the Hayes Process Macro (Model 1). The findings indicate that job creep has a significant and positive effect on quiet quitting. Although servant leadership did not have a direct significant effect, it significantly moderated the relationship between job creep and quiet quitting. The findings indicate that an increase in employees’ perceptions of their workload leads to increased quiet quitting behavior and highlight the importance of leadership approaches that balance employee expectations with workplace demands.