A Study on the Factors Influencing Turnover Intention of Knowledge Workers of Gen Z: An Empirical Test Based on the Total Rewards Theory

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-916-2_38How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Total Rewards Theory; Generation Z; Knowledge Workers; Turnover Intention

Abstract

Based on a localized total rewards theory framework, this study explores the effects of perceived economic and non-economic compensation on the turnover intention of Generation Z knowledge workers. Employing the seven-dimensional localized total rewards scale developed by Jin Wei-ze et al. (2022), a survey was conducted among 369 knowledge workers born between 1995 and 2002 with a college degree or above. Hierarchical regression analysis indicates that perceived salary security, perceived salary fairness, perceived employee care, and perceived work experience all significantly negatively impacted turnover intention, whereas perceived workload significantly positively predicts turnover intention. Interestingly, perceived personal value showed a positive correlation with turnover intention, while perceived career development had no significant impact. Moderation analysis revealed that perceived work experience effectively mitigated the negative effect of low salary security on turnover intention, while the moderating effects of perceived personal value and perceived career development were not supported. These findings underscore the complexity of turnover decisions among Gen Z employees in the current economic climate and highlight the importance of enhancing employee care and work experience in addition to ensuring economic compensation. This study offers empirical support and practical insights for organizations seeking to develop tailored total rewards systems for Generation Z knowledge workers.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Qingqing Yin
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/22
TI  - A Study on the Factors Influencing Turnover Intention of Knowledge Workers of Gen Z: An Empirical Test Based on the Total Rewards Theory
BT  - Proceedings of the 2025 4th International Conference on Public Service, Economic Management and Sustainable Development (PESD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 329
EP  - 345
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-916-2_38
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-916-2_38
ID  - Yin2025
ER  -