Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the magnitude of experience and perception of work, leaving a permanent mark on the fundamental principles of the workplace as information workers still continue to work from home. While the turnover intention of millennials is highest in the I/T (information technology) industry, organizations strive to adjust to the work order that is supposed to be the new normal. This chapter unfolds the mediating impact of employee engagement on the relationship between workplace spirituality and turnover intention of millennials in the post-pandemic era. A cross-sectional study was conducted through an online survey and data were analyzed through the AMOS 20.0 and Hayes Process macro (model 4). To respond to the long-standing problems extended by the pandemic, establishing deep connections with organizational members, and injecting meaning and higher purpose at the workplace may prove to be effective.
TopIntroduction
While the COVID-19 pandemic changed the magnitude of experience and perception of work, it has left a permanent mark on the fundamental principles of the workplace as information workers still continue to work from home. Business leaders and human resource departments are striving to make adjustments to the work order that is supposed to be the new normal. It includes work from home, shift to altered work, diverse timings or no work (Crowley, et al.,2020). Employees envision a future that combines remote and onsite work (McKinsey,2021). COVID-19 also may be classified as a traumatic event that has led to expeditious changes in working conditions on a large scale, inducing severe psychological and spiritual issues in organizations (Horsch et al.,2020).
Millennials comprise 68% of the workforce in the information technology(IT) sector and are aging into a dominant workforce cohort (Deloitte,2023). Parker, et al., (2020), report that millennials feel isolated and demotivated by solitary working conditions losing focus and are less engaged in the new normal. Their turnover intention was the highest in the software industry (Sharma & Stol,2020). A few reasons for retaining millennials are stress at work, high workload, work-life balance, lack of social contacts and physical interaction with co-workers, professional development, and work motivation (PAMUNGKAS, et al., 2023; Putri & Amran, 2021).
Thus, one of the critical aspects of people management in the post-pandemic is to lower employee turnover intentions (Silva et al.,2022). Being a costly affair that involves termination, advertising, recruitment, selection, and hiring, employee turnover has a far-reaching impact on organizations (Cakal, et al., 2021). More so, the efficiency of the remaining employees is also acutely damaged when other employees leave the organization. This specifically holds true for the millennials who exhibit higher turnover intentions most of the times (Aboobaker, et al.,2020). This entails effective manpower management to ensure that the most experienced and useful staff remain with the organization in the novel normal era post-pandemic (Awada, et al.,2021).
Thus, to respond to the long-standing problems extended by the pandemic, establishing deep connections with organizational members, and injecting meaning and higher purpose at the workplace is a priority for the millennials. Workplace spirituality may play a central role in this realm (Yin & Mahrous, 2022). It provides a framework of organizational values that promotes an employee’s experience of transcendence through the work process (Haldorai et al.,2020). It also promotes a sense of being connected to others and nurtures the feeling of completeness and joy (Giacalone and Jurkiewicz, 2003). Based on the principles of sharing, openness, and co-evolution, workplace spirituality reduces employee intention to quit thereby, improving individual and organizational outcomes (Bhaskar & Mishra,2019). More importantly, the global turbulence caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has made business executives realize the importance of workplace spirituality providing employees with a strong sense of purpose to reduce employee turnover intentions (Yin & Mahrous,2022). Consequently, workplace spirituality may be considered a robust strategy to retain a quality workforce in the contemporary workplace (Hwang and Yeojin,2022) lowering employee turnover intentions (Hwang & Yi, 2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Millennials: They are typically the generation born between 1981 to 1996. They are a demographic cohort that precedes Generation X and follows Generation They are well-educated, confident, aware, optimistic, materialistic, multi-taskers, and are born in the age of mobile devices and social media. As employees, they value job satisfaction and work-life balance more than compensation or an unpleasant working environment.
Workplace Spirituality: It is a framework of organizational values that acknowledges the inner life of individuals (attitudes, thoughts, feelings) and meaningful work for employees while they perform their duties in the context of community. Some of the important factors that promote the significance of spirituality at the workplace are the importance of life and purpose for the baby boomers and millennials as well as its significance in mergers and acquisitions.
Post-Pandemic Era: The post-Pandemic COVID-19 era is marked by a decrease in pandemic outbreaks. It includes a shift in the socio-economic climates, forced migration, and constitutional uncertainty characterizing the world we live in. As a result of this may people are reported to have suffered from psychological distress and post-traumatic stress. With this, traditional conceptualization of work has changed putting new demands in the ways of work on the employees. This further fostered the organizations to remain vigilant and prepare themselves for the new normal.
Employee Engagement: It is the extent to which employees are enthusiastic and dedicated towards their job. Engaged employees are more productive and committed thereby, contributing to an organization’s success. Proper communication, supervision, rewards, etc. may foster employee engagement.
Turnover Intention: Turnover is the process through which staff leaves a business or organization and that business or organization replaces them. Turnover intention is a measurement of whether a business or organization's employees plan to leave their positions or whether that organization plans to remove employees from positions. Turnover intention, like turnover itself, can be either voluntary or involuntary. Voluntary turnover takes place when employees decide to leave their jobs on their own when they get an opportunity better than their present jobs in terms of better pay, location or recognition, etc. Involuntary turnover takes place when an organization plans to remove an employee’s poor job performance or it is to eliminate positions due to economic pressures. Losses related to turnover intention may be lowered by organizations by offering the right compensation (based on tenure and performance), valuing and providing a voice to the employees.
Meaningful Work: Meaningful work for employees is one that values the importance of the inner soul of employees, their self-esteem, and their identity at work. It ensures that both the work itself and the context within which the work is performed are purposeful and significant. It takes into consideration the intrinsic characteristics of the work itself as well as the organizational mission and values.
Knowledge Workers: Knowledge workers are workers who have acquired specific skills and proficiencies through formal training and who apply their know-how toward creative problem-solving. Knowledge workers bring expertise to their daily work, which allows them to lead initiatives and participate in high-level decision-making. They include professionals in information technology fields, such as programmers, web designers, system analysts, technical writers, and researchers.
Sense of Community: It is the extent to which employees maintain strong and stable social relationships with the organizational members. Employees may become a part of their organizations if they feel valued and are able to grow personally.