The Effect of Work Stress on Quiet Quitting, Mediated by Affective Commitment, among Millennial Employees in Indonesia

Workplace demands in the post-pandemic era have intensified work stress among Millennial employees in Indonesia and may encourage quiet quitting behaviour, characterised by reduced initiative, motivation, and emotional involvement. This study aims to analyse the effect of work stress on quiet quitting, with affective commitment as a mediating variable, among Millennials in Indonesia. Quiet quitting has become a significant issue because employees do not always express an intention to leave the organisation directly but instead limit their contributions to minimum required tasks. This condition may be influenced by work stress arising from workload, time pressure, job anxiety, and role ambiguity. Affective commitment is viewed as a psychological factor that may explain the relationship between work stress and the tendency towards quiet quitting. This study employs a quantitative approach with an explanatory research design. The population consists of employed Millennials in Indonesia, specifically individuals born between 1981 and 1996. The sampling technique used non-probability purposive sampling, with a sample size of 385 respondents. Data were collected through an online questionnaire using a five-point Likert scale and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS software. The results indicate that work stress has a positive effect on quiet quitting and a negative effect on affective commitment. Affective commitment has a negative effect on quiet quitting and mediates the relationship between work stress and quiet quitting. These findings suggest that high work stress can weaken employees' emotional attachment to the organisation, thereby increasing their tendency to withdraw passively from work.