THE EFFECT OF JOB SATISFACTION AND EMOTIONAL EXHAUSTION ON TURNOVER INTENTION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT

Oleh :
Ramazeta Nurhazmi - F0222151 - Fak. Ekonomi dan Bisnis

This study examines the effect of job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion on turnover intention, with affective commitment as a mediating variable, among Generation Z employees in the food and beverage (F&B) industry in Central Java. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, and adapting the model proposed by Do et al. (2023), the research adopts a quantitative cross-sectional design. Primary data were collected through an online questionnaire from 215 Generation Z F&B workers in Central Java between February and April 2026 and were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that emotional exhaustion has a positive and significant effect on turnover intention and constitutes its strongest predictor, whereas job satisfaction has a negative but comparatively small significant effect. Job satisfaction significantly increases affective commitment; however, affective commitment does not significantly reduce turnover intention, and emotional exhaustion does not significantly reduce affective commitment. Consequently, affective commitment does not mediate the relationship between either job satisfaction or emotional exhaustion and turnover intention. These findings indicate that turnover intention among short-tenured Generation Z F&B employees is driven predominantly through a direct, resource-based pathway rather than through the gradual erosion of organizational attachment. The study recommends that F&B employers prioritize reducing burnout and improving day-to-day working conditions over relying on organizational commitment to retain young workers.