The Role of Psychological Safety in Moderation of the Influence of Organizational Trust on Quiet Quitting Among Generation Z Employees

Abstract

This study aims to examine the moderating role of psychological safety in the relationship between organizational trust and quiet quitting among Generation Z employees. This study is motivated by the changing characteristics of the workforce following the entry of Generation Z into the workplace, which has led to the emergence of the quiet quitting phenomenon, where employees perform only their required job responsibilities without exerting additional effort beyond their assigned duties. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of organizational trust on quiet quitting by considering the moderating role of psychological safety. This study employed a quantitative approach using a survey method. The sample consisted of 230 Generation Z employees selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a five-point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4. The results indicate that organizational trust and psychological safety have a negative and significant effect on quiet quitting. Furthermore, psychological safety strengthens the negative relationship between organizational trust and quiet quitting. These findings highlight the importance of fostering organizational trust and creating a psychologically safe work environment to reduce quiet quitting among Generation Z employees.