The role of resilience in mitigating workplace gaslighting and quiet quitting and enhancing work engagement: evidence from a cross-sectional study in Greece

OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of resilience in mitigating the effects of workplace gaslighting and quiet quitting, while simultaneously exploring its potential to enhance work engagement among employees in Greece. METHOD We carried out a cross-sectional study in Greece in January 2025 using an online questionnaire that was disseminated through social media and professional networks. A convenience sample who met eligibility criteria, including subordinate level with at least one year of professional experience and voluntary participation, were recruited in this study. Resilience was assessed using the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Workplace gaslighting, quiet quitting and work engagement were evaluated using the Gaslighting at Work Scale (GWS), the Quiet Quitting Scale (QQS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-3 (UWES-3) respectively. Associations were examined using multivariable linear regression analyses after adjusting for gender, educational level, and work experience. RESULTS A total of 291 workers were included in the study, and they were predominately female (77%) with an average age of 42.15 years (SD = 10.28) and with an average of 16.69 years of work experience (SD = 9.48). Resilience was negatively correlated with workplace gaslighting, such as GWS total score (b = -0.354, 95% CI = -0.501 to -0.206, p < 0.001), loss of self-trust (b = -0.410, 95% CI = -0.558 to -0.263, p < 0.001), and abuse of power (b = -0.306, 95% CI = -0.468 to -0.145, p < 0.001). The relationship between resilience and quiet quitting was consistently negative (b = -0.345, 95% CI = -0.458 to -0.232, p < 0.001) as was the association between resilience and its subscales of detachment (b = -0.284, 95% CI = -0.411 to -0.157, p < 0.001), lack of initiative (b = -0.365, 95% CI = -0.501 to -0.228, p < 0.001) and lack of motivation (b = -0.438, 95% CI = -0.585 to -0.291, p < 0.001). On the other hand, work engagement was positively related with resilience (b = 0.650, 95% CI = 0.422 to 0.879, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Resilience protects workers from workplace gaslighting and quiet quitting and enhances their work engagement. Strengthening resilience at work may potentially contribute to the protection of workers’ well-being and the improvement of workforce performance.