Purpose – The upcoming workforce of Generation Z brings new perspectives to the workplace, while also demonstrating a short-term organizational commitment. This creates a challenge for employers to create a sustainable employee retention. The purpose of this study is to enrich the literature on Gen Z employee turnover, particularly focusing on how companies can manage the rapid and unpredictable turnover associated with Gen Z and the factors that influence how long these employees choose to stay. Method - This explorative single-case study examines a global retail company operating in Sweden. A total of 22 interviews were conducted in three waves, and the analysis was performed using thematic analysis. Findings - In the study, four hygiene factors, three motivators, and four actions for these factors were identified for companies to consider to retain Gen Z. Additionally, a framework was developed to illustrate what actions and dynamic capabilities companies should possess along the employee’s journey from recruitment to exit to lower turnover vulnerability. Theoretical contribution - This study deepens understanding of Gen Z employee retention, turnover vulnerability, and motivation theory. It highlights the balance between retention and turnover and introduces the concept of expectation management, which demonstrates how motivators can shift to hygiene factors based on communicated expectations. Additionally, it emphasizes the role of recruitment in aligning employees with company characteristics to improve retention and explores the dynamic capabilities needed to enhance organizational resilience against turnover. Practical implications - This study offers managers insights into Gen Z employee values, emphasizing job advancement, growth opportunities, and salary as crucial retention factors. It provides a framework to mitigate turnover vulnerability by managing expectations and ensuring motivators remain effective. By utilizing this framework, managers can understand the retentionturnover relationship and enhance resilience by focusing on early relationship building, dynamic employment forms, and knowledge retention. Proactive measures in recruiting the right people are also recommended. Limitations and future research - Generalizing to a broader population may be questioned due to the study's focus on one company and lack of comparative analysis across different businesses and countries. Excluding former employees could also lead to a biased view. Future research should address these limitations by incorporating comparative generational analysis and multicase studies. Additionally, investigating the gig economy and strategies to enhance employee effectiveness could provide further insights into employee retention.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:ltu-106167 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Schulz, Cecilia, Viklund, Lisa |
| Publisher | Luleå tekniska universitet, Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik, konst och samhälle |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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