Front Psychol. 2026 May 6;17:1689646. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1689646. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In the digital era, Generation Z employees are increasingly influenced by social media driven peer norms. While traditional turnover models focus largely on internal organizational factors, the impact of external digital psychosocial stressors on employee retention remains largely overlooked. Drawing on social comparison theory, this study investigates the relationship between social expectation pressure and turnover intention, with upward social comparison acting as a mediating mechanism.
METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 542 Generation Z employees working in Chinese e-commerce firms. Validated scales were used to measure social expectation pressure, upward social comparison, and turnover intention. Hierarchical regression, confirmatory factor analysis, Bootstrapping via PROCESS macro, and robustness checks including propensity score matching and multi-group analysis were employed.
RESULTS: Social expectation pressure showed a significant positive association with turnover intention (β = 0.324, p < 0.001). Upward social comparison partially mediated this relationship (indirect effect = 0.178, 95% CI = [0.111, 0.247]), accounting for 55.6% of the total effect. These statistical relationships remained consistent across different organizational contexts.
DISCUSSION: The study broadens turnover research by introducing social expectation pressure as a relevant external psychosocial factor and confirms the mediating role of upward social comparison in the digital workplace. The findings offer theoretical and practical insights for understanding employee withdrawal behavior in social media saturated environments. Furthermore, they underscore the need for organizations to recognize and manage the social and psychological dynamics that shape the career decisions of Generation Z employees, conceptualizing turnover intention as a key manifestation of these broader career choices.
PMID:42170655 | PMC:PMC13188931 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1689646
