Quiet Quitting Threatens Productivity and Corporate Culture Among Gen Z Workers in Banjarmasin

Gloria Florensia Br Surbakti Jumat, September 04, 2026
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FORMOSA NEWS

A new empirical study reveals that quiet quitting significantly reduces workplace productivity and degrades organizational culture among Generation Z employees in Banjarmasin’s private sector. The research, published in the International Journal of Global Sustainable Research (Vol. 4, No. 8, 2026), was conducted by researchers Marezza Putri Anggreani, Neti Rosiana Fadilah, Julia Anggraeni, and Asmi Citra Nusantara. Investigating how young professionals navigate modern corporate expectations, the study underscores that passive workplace withdrawal poses a direct systemic threat to business resilience and operational performance in regional economic hubs.

Social and Cultural Background driving Quiet Quitting

As Generation Z enters the Indonesian workforce, traditional corporate expectations are colliding with modern values centered on work-life balance and mental health preservation. Conventional private sector environments frequently encourage hustle culture—expecting uncompensated overtime and continuous extra effort. In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, this tension manifests in a distinct socio-cultural context.

Local cultural norms emphasizing social harmony and the avoidance of direct confrontation (ewuh pakewuh) prevent young employees from expressing workplace dissatisfaction through overt resignation. Instead, Generation Z workers adopt quiet quitting as a form of passive protest. By strictly adhering to formal job descriptions, refusing unpaid overtime, and withholding discretionary effort, employees protect their psychological well-being while fulfilling basic employment terms.

Simple Research Methodology

The authors employed a causal associative quantitative design to measure the impact of quiet quitting on both work productivity and organizational culture. Data collection took place between April and May 2026 using structured 5-point Likert scale questionnaires.

  • Sample Group: 120 Generation Z private-sector employees in Banjarmasin selected via purposive sampling.
  • Participant Criteria: Individuals born between 1997 and 2012 with at least one year of tenure in private enterprises across trade, services, technology, creative, logistics, and manufacturing sectors.
  • Analytical Tools: Data underwent validity and reliability testing, followed by simple linear regression and Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA).

Key Empirical Findings

Statistical evaluations confirmed that quiet quitting exerts a statistically significant negative impact on individual performance and office dynamics:

  • High Prevalence of Quiet Quitting: The overall quiet quitting variable scored in the high category (mean score 3.68 out of 5). The strongest driver was resistance to overtime and extra tasks (3.79), followed by strict adherence to role boundaries (3.75).
  • Impact on Productivity: Regression analysis demonstrated a significant negative effect on work productivity ($t = -6.842$, $p = 0.000$). Every one-unit increase in quiet quitting behaviors leads to a 0.430-unit decrease in employee productivity. Resource usage efficiency (2.82) and task timeliness (2.93) recorded the lowest performance scores.
  • Erosion of Corporate Culture: Quiet quitting negatively impacted organizational culture ($t = -5.915$, $p = 0.000$), reducing cultural alignment by 0.380 units per incremental increase in quiet quitting behavior.
  • Simultaneous Effect: MANOVA testing established that quiet quitting simultaneously impairs both productivity and organizational culture (Wilks' Lambda $= 0.688$, $F = 26.524$, $p = 0.000$).

Real-World Impact and Industry Implications

The findings offer actionable insights for corporate leadership, Human Resource Management (HRM) practitioners, and economic policymakers. When employees withdraw discretionary effort, team collaboration suffers, operational bottlenecks increase, and long-term business innovation stalls.

To mitigate these risks, private sector firms in Banjarmasin and similar emerging commercial centers must modernize human resource practices. Companies are advised to abandon uncompensated hustle culture expectations, implement transparent workload distribution, and establish fair compensation or flexible work arrangements for extra contributions. Furthermore, transforming leadership styles toward empathetic management directly addresses psychological contract breaches and protects employee well-being.

"Withdrawal of discretionary effort and refusal to take on extra tasks has been proven to undermine daily operational efficiency and harm the collaborative-based Organizational Citizenship Behavior climate," stated lead researcher Marezza Putri Anggreani and co-authors Neti Rosiana Fadilah, Julia Anggraeni, and Asmi Citra Nusantara. "This study concludes that quiet quitting is a systemic threat that undermines corporate resilience".

Author Profiles

  • Marezza Putri Anggreani, M.A.B.: Lead researcher specializing in Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior, focusing on Generation Z workforce integration and private sector performance in South Kalimantan. (Contact: marezzamab@gmail.com).
  • Neti Rosiana Fadilah: Co-researcher in Organizational Culture and Operational Performance Studies.
  • Julia Anggraeni: Co-researcher specializing in Human Resource Strategy and Industrial Psychology.
  • Asmi Citra Nusantara: Senior academic supervisor and specialist in Private Sector Business Dynamics and Strategic Management.

Research Source Information

Gloria Florensia Br Surbakti

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