Ascertaining factors inducing engagement and stay intention among Gen Z: a qualitative study in the Indian context

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to identify specific factors that facilitate engagement and stay intention among Generation Z employees in the Indian banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) context. Furthermore, using the frequency distribution of the identified factors, this study has ranked them in order of their association with stay intention. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 22 Gen Z employees working in the Indian private BFSI sector using unstructured interviews. Inductive content analysis was applied to identify the factors improving engagement and stay intention. Moreover, quantitative content analysis was applied to calculate the frequency distribution of the identified factors. Findings The study identified six prominent factors, namely, transformational leadership, employee investment practices, egalitarian practices, work-life balance, job crafting and sustainability, which significantly enhance employee engagement and stay intention among Gen Z employees. Moreover, based on the results of quantitative content analysis, it was found that transformational leadership exhibited the highest frequency in association with employee engagement and stay intention. Following this were employee involvement, egalitarian practices, work-life balance, job crafting and sustainability. Research limitations/implications In the coming days, Generation Z will contribute to almost one-third of India’s workforce, of which the BFSI sector will be the major employer. However, the issue with this generation is their retention. Hence, the study identifies factors ensuring engagement and stay intention. Originality/value Owing to the paucity of research on stay intention as a variable of interest, this study tries to capture the perceptions of Gen Z towards factors inducing their engagement and stay intention. This study assesses intention to stay (ITS) as compared to intention to leave (ITL) as it is a proactive indicator of turnover. Lastly, this study uses a qualitative approach to identify factors influencing stay intention and engagement based on interactions with employees, which, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, no prior study has attempted.