Work Passion and Job Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Task Thought Among Generation Z Employees

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the effects of harmonious passion and obsessive passion on job satisfaction among Generation Z employees by investigating the mediating roles of role of Off-task thoughts and On-task Thoughts Off work. Data were collected from 201 employees in Indonesia working across various industries. The data analysis method in this study uses SEM-PLS. The results indicate that six of the twelve hypotheses were supported. The findings show that harmonious passion positively influences job satisfaction (β=0.077, p=0.000), whereas obsessive passion does not have a significant direct effect (β=0.180, p=0.702). Off-task thoughts at work mediate the effects of both harmonious (β=0.283, p=0.002) and obsessive passion (β=0.351, p=0.019) on job satisfaction, whereas On-task thoughts at work do not mediate these effects. These findings highlight the importance of cognitive mechanisms, particularly off-task thoughts at work, in explaining how different forms of work passion influence job satisfaction. The study extends the Dualistic Model of Passion by demonstrating the distinct mediating roles of work-related cognitive processes and offers practical implications for developing human resource management strategies to enhance employee job satisfaction.