Why and how are millennials sensitive to unfairness? Focusing on the moderated mediating role of generation on turnover intention

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research aims to understand why millennials value fairness highly. Specifically, this study discusses why millennials are sensitive to procedural fairness, especially unfairness. This study verifies the relationship by confirming the moderated mediation effect of generation on the relationships between procedural justice and turnover intention through organisational commitment. The results show that the negative effect of procedural justice on turnover intention is stronger among millennials than other generations, which demonstrates the moderated mediation effect of generation. In addition, the differences in turnover intention between generations are small in cases of high procedural justice but large when procedural justice is low, revealing that the reference points for procedural justice differ between generations. The findings empirically show that millennials emphasise procedural fairness and suggest the need for specific organisational management strategies that reflect each generation’s characteristics.