International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

Frustration, Professional Identity, Job Satisfaction, and Engagement: Determinants of Turnover Intention among Gen Y-Z Employees

Open access
This study aims to examine the influence of frustration and professional identity on turnover intention, with the mediating roles of job satisfaction and employee engagement, among Generation Y and Z employees working in state-owned and private companies in Central Java and Yogyakarta. Using the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory as the theoretical framework, this quantitative research employed a survey method with 210 respondents and data analysis using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The findings reveal that frustration has a significant negative impact on job satisfaction and a positive impact on turnover intention. Professional identity positively affects job satisfaction and employee engagement while negatively affecting turnover intention. Job satisfaction significantly reduces turnover intention and serves as a mediator between professional identity and turnover intention. However, employee engagement does not significantly mediate this relationship. These results highlight the importance of reducing workplace frustration and strengthening employees' professional identity to enhance job satisfaction and lower turnover intention. The study contributes to human resource management literature by providing insights into psychological factors influencing turnover intention, particularly among younger generations in the workforce.
Abbracciavento, F., Formentin, S., Gualandi, E., Nanni, R., Paoli, A., & Savaresi, S. M. (2020). Modeling and prediction for optimal human resources management. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 53(2), 16996–1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifacol.2020.12.1250
Alola, U. V., Olugbade, O. A., Avci, T., & Öztüren, A. (2019). Customer incivility and employees’ outcomes in the hotel: Testing the mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Tourism Management Perspectives, 29, 9–17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2018.10.004
Allisey, A. F., Noblet, A. J., Lamontagne, A. D., & Houdmont, J. (2014). Testing a model of officer intentions to quit: The mediating effects of job stress and job satisfaction. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 41(6), 751–771. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093854813509987
Appelbaum, N. P., Dow, A., Mazmanian, P. E., Jundt, D. K., & Appelbaum, E. N. (2016). The effects of power, leadership and psychological safety on resident event reporting. Medical Education, 50(3), 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12947
Aranzamendez, G., James, D., & Toms, R. (2015). Finding antecedents of psychological safety: A step toward quality improvement. Nursing Forum, 50(3), 171–178. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12084
Arnetz, J., Sudan, S., Goetz, C., Counts, S., & Arnetz, B. (2019). Nurse work environment and stress biomarkers: Possible implications for patient outcomes. Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 61(8), 676–681. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001642
Baumeister, R. F., Dale, K., & Sommer, K. L. (1998). Freudian defense mechanisms and empirical findings in modern social psychology. Journal of Personality, 66(6), 1081–1124. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00043
Beutell, N. J., & Wittig?Berman, U. (2008). Work?family conflict and synergy for generation X, baby boomers, and matures: Generational differences, predictors, and satisfaction outcomes. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 23(5), 507–523. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940810884513
Betz, C. L. (2019). Generations X, Y, and Z. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 44, A7–A8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2018.12.013
Bibi, S., Khan, A., Qian, H., Garavelli, A. C., Natalicchio, A., & Capolupo, P. (2020). Innovative climate as determinant of competitiveness in Chinese law firms. Sustainability, 12(12), 4948. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12124948
Bowling, N. A., Alarcon, G. M., Bragg, C. B., & Hartman, M. J. (2015). A meta-analytic examination of the potential correlates and consequences of workload. Work & Stress, 29(2), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2015.1033037
Brien, A., Thomas, N. J., & Brown, E. A. (2017). How hotel employee job-identity impacts the hotel industry: The uncomfortable truth. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 31, 235–243. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2017.03.005
Briner, R. B., & Reynolds, S. (1999). The costs, benefits, and limitations of organizational level stress interventions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(5), 647–664. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1379(199909)20:5<647::AID-JOB919>3.0.CO;2-1
Brown, E. A., Thomas, N. J., & Bosselman, R. H. (2015). Are they leaving or staying: A qualitative analysis of turnover issues for generation Y hospitality employees. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 46, 130–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.01.011
Cooper, J., Giousmpasoglou, C., & Marinakou, E. (2017). Occupational identity and culture: The case of Michelin-starred chefs. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 29(5), 1362–1379. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-02-2016-0071
De Been, I., & Beijer, M. (2014). The influence of office type on satisfaction and perceived productivity support. Journal of Facilities Management, 12(2), 142–157. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFM-02-2013-0011
De Croon, E. M., Sluiter, J. K., Blonk, R. W. B., Broersen, J. P. J., & Frings-Dresen, M. H. W. (2004). Stressful work, psychological job strain, and turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(3), 442–454. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.3.442
Gong, Z., Yang, J., Gilal, F. G., Van Swol, L. M., & Yin, K. (2020). Repairing police psychological safety. SAGE Open, 10(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/215824402091951
Grandey, A. A., Kern, J. H., & Frone, M. R. (2007). Verbal abuse from outsiders vs insiders. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(1), 63–79. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.12.1.63
Han, S. J., Bonn, M. A., & Cho, M. (2016). The relationship between customer incivility, restaurant frontline service employee burnout and turnover intention. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 52, 97–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2015.10.002
Hobfoll, S. E. (2011). Conservation of resource caravans. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 84(1), 116–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.2010.02016.x
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.2307/256287
Karatepe, O. M., Uludag, O., Menevis, I., Hadzimehmedagic, L., & Baddar, L. (2006). The effects of selected individual characteristics on frontline employee performance and job satisfaction. Tourism Management, 27(4), 547–560. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2005.02.009
Katadata. (2023). Generasi Z saat melakukan. Retrieved from https://databoks.katadata.co.id
Kim, H., & Kao, D. (2014). A meta-analysis of turnover intention predictors among U.S. child welfare workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 47, 214–223. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.09.015
Mukaihata, T., Fujimoto, H., & Greiner, C. (2020). Factors influencing work engagement among psychiatric nurses in Japan. Journal of Nursing Management, 28(2), 306–316. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12923
Nafiudin, N. (2019). Analisis turnover intention karyawan generasi Y di Provinsi Banten. Jurnal Penelitian Ekonomi dan Bisnis, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.33633/jpeb.v2i1.2230
O'Donovan, R., & McAuliffe, E. (2020). Exploring psychological safety in healthcare teams. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 810. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05646-z
Park, J., & Gursoy, D. (2012). Generation effects on work engagement. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1195–1202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2012.02.007
Putri, P. A., Simon, Z. Z., & Zain, E. (2023). Pengaruh kompensasi, job insecurity, stres kerja dan kepuasan kerja terhadap turnover intention. JEBMA, 3(1), 50–61. https://doi.org/10.47709/jebma.v3i1.2709
Rhodes, C. (2006). The impact of leadership and management on professional identity. Educational Studies, 32(2), 157–169. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055690600631051
Ruiz-Fernández, M. D., Ramos-Pichardo, J. D., Ibáñez-Masero, O., Carmona-Rega, M. I., Sánchez-Ruiz, M. J., & Ortega-Galán, Á. M. (2021). Professional quality of life, self?compassion, resilience, and empathy. Research in Nursing & Health, 44(4), 620–632. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.22158
Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–619. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169
Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248
Sun, J., & Sohn, Y. W. (2021). The influence of dual missions on employees’ meaning of work. Sustainability, 13(14), 7812. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147812
Tang, Y. (2020). The moderation role of professional identity. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 15(4), 971–990. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09716-1
Trede, F., Macklin, R., & Bridges, D. (2012). Professional identity development. Studies in Higher Education, 37(3), 365–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2010.521237
Torres, E. N., van Niekerk, M., & Orlowski, M. (2017). Customer and employee incivility and its causal effects. Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, 26(1), 48–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/19368623.2016.1178620
Uygur, S. (2009). The Islamic work ethic and the emergence of Turkish SME owner-managers. Journal of Business Ethics, 88(1), 211–225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-009-0107-z
Wang, C., Xu, J., Zhang, T. C., & Li, Q. M. (2020). Effects of professional identity on turnover intention. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, 10–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2020.07.002
Syarif, K. F., & Riani, A. L. (2025). Frustration, Professional Identity, Job Satisfaction, and Engagement: Determinants of Turnover Intention among Gen Y-Z Employees. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(8), 1507–1522.