The job creep-quiet quitting nexus revisited: servant leadership as a moderator in the manufacturing sector

This study aims to examine the organizational and managerial factors influencing employees’ quiet quitting behavior. In this context, the study investigates the effect of job creep on quiet quitting and the moderating role of servant leadership in this relationship. A quantitative research design was adopted, and data were collected via a survey of 386 employees working at manufacturing firms in the Karaman Organized Industrial Zone. Using SPSS, the collected data were analyzed for reliability and correlation, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted; hypotheses were tested using the Hayes Process Macro (Model 1). The findings indicate that job creep has a significant and positive effect on quiet quitting. Although servant leadership did not have a direct significant effect, it significantly moderated the relationship between job creep and quiet quitting. The findings indicate that an increase in employees’ perceptions of their workload leads to increased quiet quitting behavior and highlight the importance of leadership approaches that balance employee expectations with workplace demands.