The Interactive Effects of Generation and Perceived Supervisor Support on Turnover Intentions and Affective Commitment

Given that Gen Xers and Gen Yers constitute the majority of the current workforce, it is important that organizations become knowledgeable on the unique wants, needs and desires of Gen Xers and Yers in order to attract and retain individuals of these generations. Understanding generational differences may help companies create a better work environment, improve communication amongst managers and employees, and bring efficiency to the organization. However, the extant research on generational differences has paid little research attention to the youngest and fastest growing generation. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the relationships between Gen Xers and Yers on affective commitment and turnover intentions, with perceived supervisor support as a moderator. A total of 107 employees from various companies participated in an online survey. Results showed that Gen Yers had lower levels of affective commitment than Gen Xers and perceived supervisor support interacted with generation to influence turnover intentions. Furthermore, perceived supervisor support was negatively related to turnover intentions and positively related to affective commitment. Results of the present study suggest the importance of supervisor support on these work attitudes, regardless of the generation of employees