The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals

Purpose – This paper aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the millennial literature, highlighting the significance and challenges of millennial professionals, their reported high turnover and the various recommendations designed to engage and retain them. Des...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kathrine Anne Minzlaff, Stephen Palmer, Annette Fillery-Travis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Emerald Publishing 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Work-Applied Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JWAM-07-2023-0062/full/pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850263694777253888
author Kathrine Anne Minzlaff
Stephen Palmer
Annette Fillery-Travis
author_facet Kathrine Anne Minzlaff
Stephen Palmer
Annette Fillery-Travis
author_sort Kathrine Anne Minzlaff
collection DOAJ
description Purpose – This paper aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the millennial literature, highlighting the significance and challenges of millennial professionals, their reported high turnover and the various recommendations designed to engage and retain them. Design/methodology/approach – An integrated review approach was applied to synthesise contemporary peer-reviewed articles, supplemented by legacy and grey literature and relevant book chapters, to comprehensively explore and construct a cohesive overview of the current research on the millennial workforce. Findings – Within the wealth of available information, examining the various studies on millennial turnover reveals diverse theories, evidence and opportunities for advancement, underscoring the necessity for more robust empirical studies. The investigation identified three overarching retention strategy themes: (1) intergenerational conflict management, (2) workplace adaptations and (3) solutions rooted in a protean career orientation. In alignment with protean career concepts, coaching shows promise as an underexplored option. Practical implications – This article holds practical significance by offering researchers a comprehensive and cohesive overview of the millennial literature. Additionally, it gives organisations a novel perspective on the crucial role coaching can play in engaging and retaining millennial employees. Originality/value – The increased focus on retaining millennial workers in recent decades has spurred a proliferation of articles and books on this subject. However, this body of research remains fragmented, lacking an overview that provides a clear picture of its current state. This review aims to bridge this gap.
format Article
id doaj-art-67c5239343c44cbfaafb13c8bfdf51d0
institution OA Journals
issn 2205-2062
2205-149X
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher Emerald Publishing
record_format Article
series Journal of Work-Applied Management
spelling doaj-art-67c5239343c44cbfaafb13c8bfdf51d02025-08-20T01:54:54ZengEmerald PublishingJournal of Work-Applied Management2205-20622205-149X2025-04-01171344910.1108/JWAM-07-2023-0062The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionalsKathrine Anne Minzlaff0Stephen Palmer1Annette Fillery-Travis2Institute of Management and Health, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen, UKWales Academy for Professional Practice and Applied Research, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen, UKDoctoral College, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Carmarthen, UKPurpose – This paper aims to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the current state of the millennial literature, highlighting the significance and challenges of millennial professionals, their reported high turnover and the various recommendations designed to engage and retain them. Design/methodology/approach – An integrated review approach was applied to synthesise contemporary peer-reviewed articles, supplemented by legacy and grey literature and relevant book chapters, to comprehensively explore and construct a cohesive overview of the current research on the millennial workforce. Findings – Within the wealth of available information, examining the various studies on millennial turnover reveals diverse theories, evidence and opportunities for advancement, underscoring the necessity for more robust empirical studies. The investigation identified three overarching retention strategy themes: (1) intergenerational conflict management, (2) workplace adaptations and (3) solutions rooted in a protean career orientation. In alignment with protean career concepts, coaching shows promise as an underexplored option. Practical implications – This article holds practical significance by offering researchers a comprehensive and cohesive overview of the millennial literature. Additionally, it gives organisations a novel perspective on the crucial role coaching can play in engaging and retaining millennial employees. Originality/value – The increased focus on retaining millennial workers in recent decades has spurred a proliferation of articles and books on this subject. However, this body of research remains fragmented, lacking an overview that provides a clear picture of its current state. This review aims to bridge this gap.https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JWAM-07-2023-0062/full/pdfMillennialsGenerational differencesIntergenerational conflictsRetentionProtean careerCoaching
spellingShingle Kathrine Anne Minzlaff
Stephen Palmer
Annette Fillery-Travis
The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
Journal of Work-Applied Management
Millennials
Generational differences
Intergenerational conflicts
Retention
Protean career
Coaching
title The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
title_full The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
title_fullStr The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
title_full_unstemmed The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
title_short The significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
title_sort significance and challenges of turnover and retention of millennial professionals
topic Millennials
Generational differences
Intergenerational conflicts
Retention
Protean career
Coaching
url https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/JWAM-07-2023-0062/full/pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT kathrineanneminzlaff thesignificanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals
AT stephenpalmer thesignificanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals
AT annettefillerytravis thesignificanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals
AT kathrineanneminzlaff significanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals
AT stephenpalmer significanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals
AT annettefillerytravis significanceandchallengesofturnoverandretentionofmillennialprofessionals