An Exploratory Study on Turnover Intentions of Generation MZ and Older Generation Social Workers: Impact of Organizational Justice and Work-Life Balance

Abstract

This study investigated whether there is a significant difference in the turnover intentions between Generation MZ (born in 1980-2000) and the older generations (born before 1980) working in social welfare organizations. The binomial logistic regression was used to compare the factors revealed by previous literatures and showed that the key factors that contributed to the difference are organizational justice and work-life balance, which are highly sought out by Generation MZ. “A Survey on Wage Levels and Working Conditions of Social Workers”from the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs was used mainly for analysis. The results demonstrated significant differences in turnover intention between the two study groups. While the sub-dimensions of organizational justice, including distributive justice, procedural justice and interactive justice, had a significant impact on turnover intention in both groups, work-life balance was significant only in Generation MZ group. Through a comparative analysis, this study established a new knowledge base and deepened the understanding of turnover behavior in two very different generation groups. Furthermore, the study findings provided more detailed knowledge for human resource management at the organization level.