Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

This study examined the effect of selected dimensions of workplace culture on employee retention among Generation Z healthcare workers in Abuja, Nigeria. Specifically, the study assessed the effects of leadership style, workplace communication, workplace flexibility, and workplace innovation on retention. The study adopted a quantitative research design and a non-probability snowball sampling technique because the population of Generation Z healthcare workers in private healthcare facilities in Abuja was not publicly enumerated. Data were collected electronically through a structured questionnaire adapted from established measurement scales. Of 194 responses received, 188 valid responses were retained after screening. The data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 32 and SmartPLS 4. The study employed a two-stage PLS-SEM approach. First, each workplace-culture dimension was assessed separately against employee retention; second, all four predictors were entered simultaneously in a multivariate structural model. The measurement model demonstrated satisfactory reliability and convergent validity, while the HTMT results supported discriminant validity and the VIF values indicated acceptable collinearity. In the isolated models, leadership style, workplace communication, workplace flexibility, and workplace innovation were all positively and significantly associated with retention. However, in the combined model, workplace communication (β = 0.288, p < .001), workplace flexibility (β = 0.132, p = .003), and workplace innovation (β = 0.446, p < .001) retained significant positive effects, whereas leadership style was not statistically significant (β = 0.107, p = .128). The integrated model explained 79.7% of the variance in employee retention (R² = .797; adjusted R² = .793). The findings indicate that retention among Generation Z healthcare workers is associated particularly with communication quality, flexibility, and an innovation-oriented workplace culture. The study recommends strengthening transparent two-way communication, improving flexible scheduling where operationally feasible, investing in digital work systems and continuous learning, and embedding leadership practices within these broader cultural mechanisms

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