<![CDATA[Abstract. Generation Z employees, who now dominate the global and Indonesian workforce, tend to be more selective in defining work commitment and are reportedly more vulnerable to work stress than previous generations. One work behavior frequently associated with this generation is quiet quitting, a form of psychological withdrawal in which employees only fulfil minimum job requirements without formally resigning. This study examined the effect of work-life balance on quiet quitting through work stress as a mediator among Generation Z employees in Cilegon City. A quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational design was used with 108 Generation Z employees (born 1997-2005) selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using three adapted Likert-scale instruments and analyzed with linear regression and the Hayes PROCESS Macro (Model 4, 5,000 bootstrap samples). Results showed that work-life balance had a significant negative effect on both work stress and quiet quitting, while work stress had a significant positive effect on quiet quitting. Work stress was found to partially mediate the effect of work-life balance on quiet quitting (indirect effect = -0.186; 95% CI: -0.364 to -0.009). These findings indicate that low work-life balance increases quiet quitting both directly and indirectly through elevated work stress, offering practical implications for organizations seeking to manage engagement among their Generation Z workforce. Abstrak. Generasi Z yang saat ini mulai mendominasi angkatan kerja global maupun Indonesia cenderung lebih selektif dalam memaknai komitmen kerja dan dilaporkan lebih rentan mengalami stres kerja dibandingkan generasi sebelumnya. Salah satu perilaku kerja yang banyak dikaitkan dengan generasi ini adalah quiet quitting, yaitu bentuk penarikan diri secara psikologis di mana karyawan hanya memenuhi tuntutan pekerjaan minimum tanpa mengundurkan diri secara formal. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji pengaruh work-life balance terhadap quiet quitting melalui work stress sebagai mediator pada karyawan Generasi Z di Kota Cilegon. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dengan desain cross-sectional dan korelasional, melibatkan 108 karyawan Generasi Z (lahir 1997-2005) yang dipilih melalui teknik convenience sampling. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan tiga skala Likert yang telah diadaptasi dan dianalisis dengan regresi linear serta PROCESS Macro Hayes (Model 4, bootstrapping 5000 sampel). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa work-life balance berpengaruh negatif dan signifikan terhadap work stress maupun quiet quitting, sedangkan work stress berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap quiet quitting. Work stress terbukti memediasi secara parsial pengaruh work-life balance terhadap quiet quitting (indirect effect = -0,186; 95% CI: -0,364 sampai -0,009). Temuan ini menunjukkan bahwa rendahnya work-life balance meningkatkan kecenderungan quiet quitting baik secara langsung maupun melalui peningkatan work stress, sehingga memberikan implikasi praktis bagi organisasi dalam mengelola keterlibatan kerja karyawan Generasi Z.]]>
