GENERATIONAL DIFFERENCES IN JOB SATISFACTION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MILLENNIALS AND GENERATION Z IN THE RETAIL INDUSTRY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/6mcmsw33Keywords:
Job satisfaction, Millennials, Generation Z, retail industry, work environment, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, T-test, ANOVA, generational differencesAbstract
The Millennial and Generation Z employees in the Indian retail sector are compared regarding job satisfaction in this paper based on a sample of 914 employees in the Delhi-NCR area. Three dimensions of satisfaction, namely work environment, compensation benefits and work-life balance were measured using a structured questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale. A stratified non-probability method was used in the study to make the two generations equally represented.
The independent samples t-tests gave statistically significant difference between generations in the three domains of satisfaction that include work environment (t = 5.129, p < .001), compensation and benefits (t = 4.782, p < .001) and work-life balance (t = 5.647, p = .001). Millennials were found to be more satisfied in all the cases than Generation Z. A one-way ANOVA also showed that job role has a significant effect on job satisfaction (F(3, 910) = 6.921, p <.001). The post hoc Tukey HSD tests revealed that store managers were the most satisfied group of participants, supervisors were the next followed by sales representatives and cashiers with no significant difference between the latter two positions.
To further elaborate the analysis, correlation and multiple regression equations were used to evaluate the associations between the dimensions of satisfaction and their combination to determine the overall job satisfaction. The findings showed the existence of strong positive correlations between work environment, compensation, and work-life balance (r =.59- .78, p <.01). The regression results revealed significant correlation of these three predictors in explaining the overall job satisfaction (R2 =.67, F = 612.53, p =.001), with work environment (β=.46) being the strongest predictor than compensation and benefits (β=.32) and work life balance (β=.29).
Overall, the findings indicate that both generation and job role significantly shape job satisfaction in retail workplaces. Retail organizations should therefore implement cohort-specific and role-based interventions—for instance, offering greater flexibility, digital empowerment, and psychological safety for Generation Z, alongside career development and recognition opportunities for Millennials. Such targeted HR strategies can enhance employee satisfaction and retention in India’s competitive retail labour market.
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