DISLOYAL, ZAPPERS AND SLASHERS? THE ZS AND THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW FORM OF EMPLOYER LOYALTY

Abstract

In a context of unprecedented uncertainty and volatility, retaining young people from Generation Z who are endowed with specific skills that are rare on the labor market has become a major challenge for organizations. As young people are often described as unloyal, ‘zappers’ and ‘slashers’, the question of their loyalty to their companies is regularly scrutinized, especially in the current context. In order to explore the whys and wherefores of Generation Z’s loyalty to companies, we conducted a qualitative research based on a case study in a large French company (Decathlon) at two different stages (2018 and 2020, i.e. before and during the Covid-19 crisis). Through a multidisciplinary approach, combining the contributions of marketing research on consumer loyalty and those of Human Resource Management (HRM) research on company loyalty, our results contribute to the literature on employees’ loyalty, by highlighting the emergence of a new conception of loyalty adapted to the Z Generation, containing five dimensions: emotional, social, collaborative, intrapreneurship and ethical. Doing so, our research also highlights four levers that companies should consider in order to retain young employees namely well-being and pleasure, authenticity and affectivity, creation and commitment, and finally ultra-connectivity and sharing.