Working in the Dutch travel industry : Differences in work expectations of three generations

Staff turnover is increasingly a problem for travel companies, particularly for the youngest generation of workers. This study examines psychological contract and commitment as antecedents of turnover in the light of generational differences. Data was collected using an online survey (N=330). Results indicate higher expectations of employer’s obligations in Generation Y than previous generations, in particular for organizational policies and ideological contract. Correlations were found between psychological contract breach and turnover intention, as well as between fulfilment of psychological contract and turnover intention, and commitment and turnover intention. Results do also indicate a lower commitment and a higher turnover intention for younger workers and suggest we may need to consider redesigning jobs to better retain this new generation of workers