WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG GENERATION Z EMPLOYEES: A CRITICAL REVIEW

As Generation Z becomes the dominant demographic cohort entering the global labor force, organizational human resource practices face an unprecedented paradigm shift regarding work-life balance and employee retention. This critical review systematically synthesizes recent empirical and theoretical literature (2021–2026) examining the nexus between work-life balance dimensions—including flexible hybrid schedules, digital boundary management, autonomous schedule crafting, and mental health support—and job satisfaction among Gen Z employees. Applying PRISMA 2020 protocol, 16 benchmark studies were critically evaluated. Meta-synthesis indicates that work-life integration significantly enhances job satisfaction and organizational loyalty, primarily mediated by perceived autonomy, reduced burnout, and work-family enrichment. However, hyper-connectivity and blurriness in digital work boundaries introduce novel stressors. The review constructs a structural structural equation modeling (SEM) path framework and formulates a multi-level organizational alignment matrix to optimize Gen Z work-life integration.