Mediating Role of Organizational Justice in Relationship between Quiet Quitting Behaviour and Psychological Engagement: Evidence from Nurses in Private Sector Hospitals in Colombo District of Sri Lanka

Abstract

The working environment has undergone dramatic changes due to COVID-19. Quiet quitting is a phenomenon observed under the general revision of employment conditions that has been taking place in recent years. It reflects the conscious decision of the employee to limit the effort they put into their work, which has affected the healthcare sector, resulted increased the rates of nurses’ turnover intention. The quiet quitting process, starts with a decrease in the psychological engagement of employees who are lost in the culture of hustle and bustle, understanding that employees play a major role in achieving business goals and objectives. The present study investigates the mediating role of organisational justice in the relationship between quiet quitting behaviour and psychological engagement among private sector hospital nurses in the Colombo district, Sri Lanka. There were few studies conducted in this area, and researchers focused on filling the research gap by conducting this study to find out the situation in the Sri Lankan behaviour. Therefore, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was employed, utilising a structured questionnaire administered to a sample of 311 nurses working in private hospitals. The data was mainly analysed using correlation and regression analysis to obtain more reliable and validated results. As a result of the correlation analysis between quiet quitting and psychological engagement, a moderately significant positive relationship was found (r = 0.508, p < 0.01). The regression analysis revealed a statistically significant positive impact of quiet quitting behaviour on psychological engagement (B = 0.097; p = 0.000), while mediation analysis results confirmed a significant indirect effect. These results highlight the importance of further research to explore additional factors that may shape quiet quitting behaviour and its implications for psychological engagement in healthcare settings. Furthermore, healthcare administrators and HR practitioners’ emphasis the need to focus on strategic tools to enhance engagement and reduce the adverse effects of quiet quitting in high-stress work environments.