Published by The Multidisciplinary Research Review
Abstract
Why are Generation Z employees quiet quitting? A potential answer is related to Generation Z disengagement. Quiet quitting is troublesome for companies with growing numbers of young recruits checking out emotionally from work. Literature about aggrieved company cultures discusses quiet quitting, the name Generation Z employees use for a form of disengagement. Nevertheless, there is a lack of empirical research on Generation Z disengagement. Moreover, there is a lack of qualitative research on quitting and disengagement in general, with existing recommendations originating from quantitative studies that do not examine the core nature of the phenomenon. The originality of the research stems from studying two interrelated issues: the characteristics of Generation Z disengagement and the characteristics of Generation Z employee integration frameworks that consider their employee lifecycle. This paper discusses quiet quitting as a form of Kahn’s (1990) disengagement and a dimension of Generation Z’s exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect (EVLN) model characteristic. The study follows a qualitative methodology. Firstly, grounded theory is employed to extract data from Generation Z employees and their managers and compare perceptions of the former’s disengagement and engagement. The research sample consisted of 75 participants. Secondly, unstructured observation was employed through a cohort longitudinal study of ten Generation Z employees at work over two years. The lifecycle of Generation Z employees is shown to be approximately one year. The research illustrates the Generation Z employee lifecycle curve and classifies the Generation Z employee engagement phases. Moreover, the study introduces a framework for integrating Generation Z within companies.
Keywords: Generation Z, employee disengagement, employee engagement, quiet quitting, employee retention; onboarding, EVLN
Read the full article at: https://journalmbr.net/index.php/mbr/article/view/8358/6819
Multidiscip. Bus. Rev. | Vol. 17, N° 1, 2024, pp. 83-97, ISSN 0718-400X | DOI: https://doi.org/10.35692/07183992.17.1.7
