A Systematic Literature Review: From Engagement to Loyalty: Employees' Retention Drivers for Gen-Z and Millennials

The latest corporate world is witnessing a significant revolution driven by the unfolding workplace expectations of Gen-Z and Millennial employees. Organisations are facing out-of-the-ordinary challenges with talent drain among younger cohorts and high turnover rates since traditional retention strategies have become increasingly disused. There remains a critical gap in understanding the specific, multidimensional factors that genuinely secure the long-term loyalty of these younger generations, while existing literature extensively covers general employee engagement. By exploring what truly motivates young professionals to stay, this research aims to bridge the gap present in existing literature. Four key independent variables of this study are Workplace Flexibility, Relational Leadership, Total Rewards and Career Growth, and Ethical Alignment and Purpose, on the dependent variable, Employee Retention Intent. The primary objective of this study is to empirically investigate the impact of these variables. This paper outlines the shift from mere transactional engagement to deep-rooted loyalty by analysing how these core drivers cater to the psychological, financial, and ethical needs of Gen-Z and Millennials. Ultimately, by providing actionable strategies to redesign workplace ecosystems, reduce turnover, and foster an environment where top talent naturally envisions a long-term future, the findings of this research will serve as a practical playbook for human resource leaders and organisations. This research is based on the Biblometric analysis using R-Studio and the Biblioshiny web interface, a total of 126 publications. including 20 databases from Scopus, 66 from Taylor and Francis, 28 from JSTOR and a 20 publications database from Google Scholar, without filtering the other parameters. The analysis generated a conceptual structure, the author’s performance across the globe and thematic mapping. The core 24 Papers for the thematic review of the study are being extracted using the PRISMA framework.