Quiet Quitting Among Women Employees: The Moderating Role of Emotional Intelligence in Workplace Incivility

Abstract

Purpose – This study aims to examine the moderating role of the self-emotion appraisal and others’ emotion appraisal dimensions of emotional intelligence in the relationship between female employees’ perceptions of workplace incivility and quiet quitting in the private sector. This research tests the assumption that withdrawal tendencies arising from negative workplace behaviors may vary depending on individuals’ levels of emotional intelligence.
Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a cross-sectional design and collected data through a survey administered to 302 women working in private-sector organizations in Isparta, Türkiye, using convenience sampling. The reliability and validity of the measurement instruments were assessed, and the hypotheses were tested using interaction terms and simple slope analyses within regression models.
Results – Findings indicate that workplace incivility has a positive and significant effect on quiet quitting. Self-emotion appraisal plays a protective moderating role; when this skill is low, workplace incivility significantly increases quiet quitting, whereas at high levels, this effect becomes insignificant. In contrast, others’ emotion appraisal functions as a strengthening moderator; the effect of workplace incivility on quiet quitting becomes stronger at high levels, whereas it is insignificant at low levels. This finding is particularly noteworthy, as it suggests that different dimensions of emotional intelligence do not necessarily operate in the same direction.
Discussion – The results indicate that emotional intelligence plays different roles in how female employees respond to workplace incivility, and that organizations can reduce quiet quitting by specifically supporting employees’ awareness of their own emotions.