Generation Z's Expectations for Well-being in the Workplace: The Role of Work Meaningfulness and Gender Factors

Abstract

This study investigates how Gen-Z envisions well-being in the workplace, particularly within the framework of sustainable work environments. Using the PERMA model, which encompasses Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment, as the guiding theory, the research examines whether these five dimensions effectively capture Gen Z’s expectations for future workplace well-being. Besides that, the research also examines the relationship between work meaningfulness and well-being, moderated by the gender factor. Data were gathered from 454 university students in Indonesia.  through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and SEM PLS. Interestingly, rather than emerging as five distinct dimensions, the PERMA items loaded onto two dimensions named Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-being. This suggests that Gen-Z views workplace well-being from both a short and long-term perspective. Research also found that work meaningfulness positively impacts well-being, but gender does not moderate that relationship. The findings may also reflect a broader cultural inclination toward relational connectedness and shared meaning when assessing well-being. Besides that, the research also found that work meaningfulness positively impacts well-being on students, but gender does not moderate that relationship. By offering these insights, the study contributes to higher education institutions, career guidance service providers, and curriculum designers in developing self-development and career readiness programs that not only emphasize improving short-term happiness aspects (hedonic), but also prioritize strengthening meaning, engagement, and sustainable achievement (eudaimonic).