Reward Preferences of the Youngest Generation: Attracting,Recruiting,and Retaining Generation Z into Public Sector Organizations

Identification of Relevant Evidence

I used ABI Inform, Business Source Complete, and Scopus databases for the bibliographic search. I electronically retrieved the published studies from the University of Maryland Global Campus’ library system. I queried Google and Google Scholar to locate both unpublished and published data. The studies retrieved were mainly peer-reviewed articles and some grey literature to avert publication bias. ⁵⁷ To find articles, I constructed search statements based on the following keywords: “attracting,” “recruiting,” “retaining,” “Generation Z,” and “public sector organizations.” The search terms used included synonyms and related terms of those keywords. Thus, to ensure a transparent, reproducible, and verifiable study search, I used a combination of key search terms, Boolean operators (“AND” and “OR”), the truncation symbol (*), and parentheses () to query the selected databases. ⁵⁸ The following are examples of the search statements:

(recruit* OR attract* OR retain* OR hire* OR hiring) AND (“public sector*” OR “public service” OR “civil service” OR “civil servant” OR federal OR government)

To identify relevant studies, I applied the inclusion and exclusion criteria such as time frame (2010–2019), language (English), study population (Gen Z), nature of the intervention (rewards/incentives), context (public sector organizations), and outcomes (attraction, recruitment, and retention of Gen Z).

The study search yielded 69,139 records. I applied the exclusion criteria which included English as publication language, publication date between 2010–2019 and attraction, recruitment, and retention as study outcomes. I removed a total of 65, 220 studies that did not meet the eligibility criteria at this phase. The remaining 3919 underwent a two-phase screening stage. For the initial screening, I applied the eligibility criteria to the selected studies’ titles and abstracts and removed 3667 duplicate publications whose titles and abstracts were unrelated to the research question. The second screening phase focused on assessing the 225 identified articles on their relevance and appropriateness of their research designs to answer the review question. Further, I assessed the eligibility of the retrieved studies against this study’s inclusion and exclusion criteria. The second screening phase resulted in the removal of 222 articles. After an exhaustive study selection process, I found 33 articles relevant and selected them for data extraction and quality appraisal. The selected studies included three studies which I identified through the snowball referencing technique.

Quality Appraisal of the Data Set

I employed the Rees model ⁵⁹ for critiquing qualitative and quantitative research to assess the quality of the articles. This critical appraisal tool was appropriate because of its potential to balance the research designs’ variances in the articles selected. The Rees model consists of the following criteria: (1) focus, (2) background, (3) aim/objectives, (4) study methodology or broad approach, (5) data collection method, (6) ethical considerations, (7) sample, (8) method of data analysis and presentation, (9) main findings, (10) conclusion and recommendations, (11) readability (overall strengths and limitations), and (12) application to practice. I supplemented the Rees quality appraisal model with Boaz and Ashby’s ⁶⁰ four quality dimensions to provide an exhaustive and comprehensive quality assessment that extended beyond determining the methodological soundness of the studies. ⁶¹ Further, I appraised the 33 selected studies using the following Boaz and Ashby’s dimensions of quality screening questions. (1) Does the presentation of the study allow for appraisal and replication by other researchers? (2) Is the study well executed? (3) Do the study methods appropriately reflect the aims of the study? (4) Are the study’s findings relevant to policy and practice? As depicted in Table 2, the quality assessment resulted in 21 high-quality ratings, eight (8) medium ratings, and four low ratings.

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Table 2.

Results of Quality Assessment Rating.

Rating	Quality assessment standard	Example of rated studies
High	21 studies met minimum of 11 Rees	Bejtkovský 72 , Bryson et al. 104 , Cho and Lewis 68 , and Goh and Lee 76
	Criteria and 3 screening questions
Medium	Eight (8) studies met minimum of 7–9	Balan and Vreja 20 , Singh and Dangmei 86 , Fodor et al. 67 , and Wiedmer 83
	Rees criteria and 2-3 screening questions
Low	Three (3) studies met at least seven (7)	Arar and Yüksel 79 , Chilakuri and Mahanandia 105 , Ozkan and Solmaz 80 , and Pires 70
	Rees criteria and two (2) screening questions

An example of a study with a “low” rating is a methodologically weak study but, to some extent, addresses the review question. It is essential to mention that Montana and Petit’s ¹¹¹ article, which has a medium rating, was removed because its findings did not address the review question. The final sample of 32 articles comprised 19 empirical studies, three grey literature articles, and one unpublished study (obtained through internet search via Google Scholar). The sample also consisted of 19 studies that used a quantitative approach, 11 studies that used a qualitative approach, and two studies that used a mixed methods approach. Also, 10 of the 32 articles were public administration literature. There was a total of 215, 941 respondents in the included studies. The data extraction process revealed only four of the 32 included studies examined the influence of gender on the importance Gen Z places on specific rewards such as job security, work environment, and supervisor relations (see Results and Table 6 for details). The number of respondents in the four studies was 64,428, of whom 26,536 (41%) were females and 37,892 were males (59%).

Synthesis

This stage of the review process involves aggregating, integrating, and interpreting all the evidence relevant to answer the review question. ⁶¹ Following the critical appraisal, I conducted thematic coding to identify and extract themes and subthemes from the corpus of studies. ⁶² I adopted the first and second coding cycle process to generate initial thematic codes. ⁶³ The first cycle coding resulted in six thematic concepts: salary, career advancement, work–life balance and flexible work, supervisor support, training and career development, and job security. A thorough examination of the result and discussion sections during the second cycle coding yielded four thematic codes, including mentoring, feedback system, the nature of work content, and employee autonomy.

Further, I used ATLAS.ti 8 qualitative software to identify more codes using line-by-line coding. The line-by-line coding, in which I applied the ten identified thematic codes, generated 30 descriptive codes. Using a pattern identification process that focused on the frequency of codes, I grouped 30 descriptive codes into ten final codes. In addition to frequency, two critical pattern identification characteristics I applied to the 30 codes were similarity (how similar codes were) and correspondence (how codes were related to other codes). ⁶⁴ The pattern identification process also involved grouping high-frequency concepts that shared semantic and contextual similarities. Table 3 lists the extracted codes with their corresponding frequency counts arranged in numerical descending order. The table also gives the number of studies whose coded quotations were assigned a specific code.

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Table 3.

Frequency Count of Extracted Codes.

Code #	Code	Frequency	# of sources
1	Desire for a high or competitive salary	107	24
2	Value for career advancement opportunities	63	21
3	Desire for work–life balance and flexibility	63	20
4	Job security is important	56	18
5	Opportunities for training and career development	54	19
6	Desire for employee autonomy	52	17
7	Nature of work content and job satisfaction	47	17
8	Value for cash and noncash benefits	47	17
9	Value for a positive or good work environment	39	14
10	Technology and use of social media at work	35	9
11	Desire for positive coworker relations	34	11
12	Preference for good work conditions	32	11
13	Desire for positive supervisor relations	29	12
14	Public service motivation is important	26	6
15	Team building and collaboration important	24	13
16	Desire and opportunities for self-development	23	15
17	Mentoring opportunities	22	10
18	Organization’s good reputation	21	6
19	Preference for community social responsibility	19	11
20	Recognition for job performance	16	8
21	Preference for open communication	13	8
22	Desire for financial security	12	7
23	Desire for cultural and racial diversity	9	5
24	Desire for participatory management style	7	3
25	Desire for career coaching	5	3
26	Desire for effective and instant feedback	5	5
27	In-person communication is important	5	4
28	Online recruitment strategies important for Gen Z	5	4
29	Preference for organic organizational structure	3	1
30	Presence of effective leadership	3	2

To help generate descriptive themes, I applied correspondence and similarity to all the final codes. The code translation process involved rearranging and reclassifying the final codes. I subsumed some codes under others and even dropped others during the process. For instance, I subsumed thematic concepts such as training and skills development, mentoring, and career advancement as subthemes under career development. Additionally, I subsumed desire for a high or competitive salary, fringe benefits, work–life balance, and flexibility as subthemes under employee remuneration. This process yielded eight (8) descriptive themes. Table 4 provides additional details on the classification process.

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Table 4.

Classifying Final Codes into Descriptive Themes.

Final Code	Descriptive Theme
Desire for a high or competitive salary	Employee remuneration is an important work value for Gen Z
Value for fringe benefits
Desire for work–life balance and flexible work
Job security is important	Job security influences Gen Zers’ employment preference
Opportunities for training and career development	Career development helps attract and retain Gen Z
Desire for employee autonomy	Employee autonomy is of value to Gen Z
Value of a positive and good work environment	Positive work environment is important for Gen Z
Desire for positive coworker relationships	Positive coworker relations help retain Gen Z
Desire for positive supervisor relationship	Supervisor support is of value to Gen Z
Organization’s good reputation	Good reputation of organizations helps attract and retain Gen Z

Desire for High or Competitive Salary

Twenty-four (n = 24) of the 32 included studies examined the value of high salary to Gen Z. As shown in Table 5, the reviewed studies reported that high salary was an essential work value that played a role in their choice of employers. For example, Csiszárik Kocsír and Garia Fodor ⁶⁶ attested that a high salary is the critical driver of Gen Z employment decisions. Further, 89% of study respondents (N = 1178) in the study by Fodor et al. ⁶⁷ , 60% of respondents (N = 156) in Iorgulescu’s study (2016), and 59% of survey respondents (N = 111) in the study by Puiu ³² ranked high salary as a significant work characteristic. Results from Cho and Lewis’ ⁶⁸ study (N = 36, 926) revealed “higher entry salaries may both attract more high-quality job applicants and help retain new hires” (p. 19). On the question of the work motives that influence their sectoral choices, the study participants (N = 37,200) from 31 nations mentioned high salary is one of the work motives that influenced their choice of public sector employment. ⁶⁵ The value the Generation Z cohort ascribes to high salary not only evokes the need for financial security—a desire resulting from the economic challenges their families encountered during the Great Depression.^69,70

Value for Fringe Benefits

Seventeen (n = 17) studies from the review corpus examined fringe benefits and their impact on Gen Z’s employment decisions. Fringe benefits are essential work values to Gen Z because they evoke a sense of financial security.^70,71 For example, the findings from Beijvoksy’s ⁷² study indicated that Gen Z respondents (N = 182) highly valued financial bonuses for work done and ranked this type of fringe benefit as one of the most critical work values. Respondents from the reviewed studies stated fringe benefits such as education grants, healthcare insurance, paid leave, and retirement benefits contribute to their decision to choose an employer (e.g., Bejtvosky ⁶⁷ ; Fodor et al. ⁷² ; Thibault-Landry et al. ⁹³ ). For instance, in Csiszárik Kocsír and Garia Fodor’s ⁶⁶ study, respondents stated that though fringe benefits “serve as great motivational factors,… they were not perceived as the most important ones” (p. 72). Iorgulescu ⁷³ supported the view that while they are important to Gen Z, fringe benefits were the least important factors for selecting a full-time job.

Desire for Work–Life Balance and Flexible Work

Twenty (n = 20) of the 32 included studies discussed Gen Z’s preference for work–life balance and flexible work. Walczak ⁷¹ explained that the youngest generation’s strong desire for work–life balance reflects their independent nature. For instance, Moltz ⁶⁵ underscored the importance his study respondents (N = 37,200) attached to work–life balance and their choice of employer. Respondents (N = 1178) in the study by Csiszarik Koscir and Garia Fodor ⁶⁶ and Pires’ ⁷⁰ study (N = 65) mentioned that their preference for work–life balance and flexible working schedules might influence their selection of a workplace. Also, respondents (N = 8) indicated that having greater flexibility and work–life balance informed their decision to pursue a civil service career. ⁷⁴

Value for Career Advancement Opportunities

Job promotional opportunities had a great deal of appeal among the study respondents. Twenty-one (n = 21) studies of the study sample indicated that rapid career advancement is significant to Gen Z job seekers and that job promotional opportunities constitute a top priority for selecting a workplace. ⁷³ For example, study respondents (N = 122) in Walczak’s ⁷¹ study gave prospective promotion the highest rank of 7 as an expected job characteristic. Csiszárik Kocsír and Garia Fodor ⁶⁶ affirmed the commonly held view across the reviewed studies that the opportunity for promotion and professional development looms large in Gen Z’s career choice consideration. Moreover, Gen Zers’ value for career advancement seems to have a global and multicultural appeal, as presented in the studies by Zupan et al. ⁷⁵ and Heong ⁸⁹ . Zupan et al. attributed Gen Zers’ strong desire for career advancement to their ambitious nature. Respondents (N = 71) in the study by Goh and Lee ⁷⁶ share Maioli’s ⁶⁹ view that to attract, recruit, motivate, and retain Gen Z, it is essential to discuss their career pathways and career development opportunities that fit their interests and talents.

Job Security Influences Gen Zers’ Employment Preference

Eighteen (n = 18) of the studies reviewed revealed that Generation Z found stable employment or career security very appealing. For example, survey participants (N = 505) in Heong’s study ranked job security as a significant job characteristic. For instance, regarding the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards on sectoral choices (private or public sector employment), respondents (N = 15,222) from 26 countries cited job security as one of the reasons they would opt for public employment. ⁷⁷ Also, in Puiu’s ³² study, 56% of respondents believe job stability is one of the top three reasons for choosing a job. Fifty-six (56%) of Gen Z respondents (N = 400) in Maioli’s study supported this view. Evidence from the reviewed studies indicated that Gen Zers were attracted to organizations that provided them stable jobs, and it might be a contributory factor for their decision to work for an organization (e.g., Iorgulescu ⁷³ ; Georgellis et al. ⁷⁸ ; Van de Walle et al. ⁷⁷ ).

Positive Work Environment is Important for Gen Z

Fourteen (n = 14) studies discussed Gen Z members’ value for the social and physical work environment. In these reviewed studies, respondents considered a vibrant team culture, technology, social media, open workspace, and diversity as desirable workplace expectations (e.g., Arar & Yuksel ⁷⁹ ; Beijkovsky ⁷² ; Maioli ⁶⁹ ). In the study by Ozkan and Solmaz ⁸⁰ , 74% of respondents (N = 276) believed a positive social environment in the workplace is a motivating force for the Gen Z workforce. Maioli ⁶⁹ affirmed that “issues associated with organizational climate would be found among the factors that members of Generation Z evaluate when choosing a job” (p. 10). Surprisingly, the results revealed, except for career advancement opportunities, the other extrinsic rewards are contributory (secondary) factors to Gen Z’s employment decisions especially (see Table 5).

Gender seems to influence the importance Gen Zers place on certain extrinsic rewards (see Table 6). For instance, the results from two reviewed studies showed female respondents assigned more significant value to work–life balance than their male counterparts (i.e., Gimberggson & Lundberg ⁸¹ ; Walczak ⁷¹ ). Female respondents (n = 229) ranked work–life balance higher than their male counterparts (n = 135). ⁸¹ Also, Georgellis et al. ⁷⁸ reported that job security was positive and significant for female respondents (n = 25, 728). The authors stated that satisfaction with job security was higher for women more than men. Further, female respondents ranked work conditions higher than their male counterparts.^71,81 For instance, Walczak ⁷¹ revealed that while 40% of female respondents (n = 85) rated questions on work conditions at the highest value, more than 50% of male respondents (n = 37) assigned it an average ranking.

Opportunities for Training and Skills Development

The respondents in 19 of the 32 included studies ranked opportunities for training and skills development as significant to Gen Z and top priorities for selecting a workplace and, most importantly, remaining with their employers. For instance, Fodor and Jaeckel ⁸² attributed Gen Z’s desire for career development to their internal motivation to learn. Further, 47% of the reviewed studies (n = 15) discussed the importance of self-development in the career development of Gen Zers (e.g., Bălan & Vreja ²⁰ ; Ozkan & Solmaz ⁸⁰ ; Wiedmer ⁸³ ). Also, 93% of the respondents (N = 112) in Walczak’s ⁷¹ study considered self-development a critical work value and may sacrifice an employer who pays more for one who supports learning.

Gen Z Desires Mentoring Opportunities

Ten reviewed studies identified mentoring as an essential work value of Generation Z. Four of the ten studies extensively discussed Gen Z’s desire for reverse mentoring where Gen Z shares their knowledge and skills on technology and social media with more senior employees at their potential workplaces.^69,83–85 For instance, Maioli ⁶⁹ attested that organizations can effectively retain Gen Z if they offer multiple growth opportunities.

Employee Autonomy is of Value to Gen Z

As shown in Table 5, 17 studies examined how valuable job or employee autonomy is to the post-Millennials. Gen Zers’ desire for freedom reflects their independence and desire to prove themselves.^83,86 Consequently, respondents in the reviewed studies ranked autonomy as one of their most essential work values. For example, Bejtvoksy ⁷² (N = 182) stated that the freedom to choose how to do their work and implement their own ideas was one of the critical five work values for Gen Z. Also, survey respondents ( = 34,000) believe having a voice in the workplace is vital to achieving success for the work they do and engendering positive work attitudes needed for their retention. ⁸⁷ Thibault-Landry et al. ⁹³ affirmed employee autonomy is one of the important individual/employee psychological needs whose fulfillment engendered positive work outcomes, such as employee engagement and commitment.

Nature of Work Content and Job Satisfaction

Gen Z does not only need the freedom to choose how and where they do their jobs but also perform diverse, meaningful, and challenging jobs that ensure job satisfaction. The findings from 17 of the study sample underscore this view. Accordingly, respondents in the reviewed studies consider the nature of work content (“work itself”) and job satisfaction significant work values and intrinsic rewards that may influence their selection of a workplace and motivate them to stay with their employers. For instance, Walczak ⁷¹ reported that for more than 80% of his study respondents (N = 122), the type of work they will do and the satisfaction they will derive from their work are critical to them. The respondents (N = 568) in Rehman’s ⁸⁸ study believe that the satisfaction they get from their work makes them more committed to their employers. The author (Rehman) concluded that job satisfaction impacts retention of employees and the attraction of new talents.

Positive Coworker Relations Help Attract and Retain Gen Z

Concerning work relationships, 11 of the included studies discussed the role that positive relationships with workmates play in Gen Z’ s decision to stay with their employers continually. Positive coworker relations are an essential work value for Gen Z members mainly because they value team building and collaboration. ⁸¹ Both Chinese (n = 281) and Slovenian respondents (549) in Zupan et al.’s ⁷⁵ study rank friendly coworkers among their top six work values. Also, there is strong support for good coworker relations as a workplace expectation among the respondents (N = 364). ⁸¹ While Gen Z values good relationships with their coworkers, the evidence suggests coworker relations play a secondary role in Gen Z job seekers’ evaluation of their career choices.

Supervisor Support is of Value to Gen Z

As shown in Table 5, 12 studies of this study sample examined the importance of positive managerial relations or supervisor support to Gen Zers’ decision to stay with their employers. The findings from the reviewed studies indicate Generation Z responds positively to good supervisor relations. The findings suggest that Gen Zers are motivated by supervisor support behaviors, including constant and meaningful real-time feedback, recognition for performance, open communication, and participative management (e.g., Arar & Yuksel ⁷⁹ ; Pires ⁷⁰ ). For the Gen Z respondents, the supervisor’s support is an essential workplace expectation that will help them develop personally and professionally (e.g., Iorgulescu ⁷³ ; Singh & Dangmei ⁸⁶ ; Thibault-Landry et al. ⁹³ ; Wiedmer ⁸³ ). In Harris et al.’s ⁷⁴ study, respondents (N = 8) believed that positive managerial support was the most salient factor in their decision to work for an organization and stay with their employers. Thibault-Landry et al. ⁹³ confirmed that supervisor–employee relation is one of the employees’ pivotal psychological needs that must be met to motivate and retain employees.

Preference for Community Social Responsibility

The findings from 11 included studies showed that Gen Zers had a favorable perception of organizations that promoted community social responsibility (CSR) and would pursue employment with such organizations. Gen Z respondents from these studies considered CSR an essential work value (e.g., Bălan & Vreja ²⁰ ; Fodor et al. ⁶⁷ ; Moltz ⁶⁵ ; Puiu ³² ; Zupan et al. ⁷⁵ ). Gimberggson and Lundberg attributed Gen Z’s high CSR value to their altruistic nature and the need to contribute to society. The survey respondents (N = 1358) in the study by Fodor et al. ⁶⁷ mentioned they prefer working with an organization “with a conscious CSR strategy and an environment-conscious way of thinking” (p. 27). Pires ⁷⁰ affirmed that CSR is a significant motivator for Gen Z. The author further reports 60% of Gen Z respondents want to work for organizations that have links with the community and help it.

Public Service Motivation is Important

Respondents in six (n = 6) of the study sample ranked public service as a significant work value which is crucial to their retention (see Table 5). For instance, with a mean of 3.84, respondents (N = 504) ranked PSM as one of their most crucial work characteristics. ⁸⁹ Also, the all-female respondents (N = 8) in the study by Harris et al. ⁷⁴ stated their public service maturation informed their decision to remain civil servants after their internship. Lewis and Frank ¹ revealed that 29% of study respondents (N = 2609) who gave PSM a high rating preferred public employment than 24%, who gave it a low rating. Moltz ⁶⁵ mentioned individuals’ prosocial motivations might be critical in choosing public employment, enhancing their job satisfaction, and commitment to their employers.

Furthermore, gender seems to play a role in Gen Z’ s value of intrinsic rewards such as CSR and work relationships (see Table 6). Also, the results showed that females had higher altruistic values (CSR) and preferred a workplace that supports CSR than males. ⁸¹ Additionally, the results show that female respondents valued good relationships with coworkers and their supervisors (characterized as social work values) more than their male counterparts.^75,81 For instance, there was a significant mean differential (0.22) for coworker relations and supervisor support between female (3.9) and male respondents (3.7). ⁸¹ Zupan et al. ⁷⁵ revealed female Slovenian and Chinese respondents had a higher value for coworker relations than their male counterparts.

Taken altogether, the examination of the eight descriptive themes revealed that the study’s respondents’ evaluation of the importance of a reward is influenced by their life experiences, psychosocial characteristics (values, motivations, and needs), and gender. The results also suggest that Gen Z assigns varying degrees of importance to their extrinsic and intrinsic reward preferences. Additionally, the results show the relationship between the importance Gen Z place on their reward priorities and how those priorities lead to their predisposition to choose an employer and continue working for that employer. Gender was found to influence the value Gen Z placed on three intrinsic and three extrinsic rewards.