Extended Summary

The acceleration of digital transformation has fundamentally reshaped contemporary work structures, positioning hybrid work arrangements as a dominant organizational model. Hybrid work, defined as a flexible arrangement in which employees alternate between on-site and remote work based on task requirements and organizational policies, has become increasingly prevalent across sectors. Within this context, understanding how organizational engagement varies across demographic groups has emerged as a critical research concern.

Organizational engagement, defined as the extent to which employees invest cognitive, emotional, and behavioral resources into their organizational roles (Saks, 2006), is shaped by both individual and contextual factors. While prior research has examined generational and gender differences in work-related attitudes, these variables are typically analyzed separately, limiting understanding of their potential interactive effects. Addressing this gap, the present study examines generational and gender-based differences in organizational engagement among hybrid workers in Türkiye using Role Theory as its theoretical foundation.

Role Theory suggests that individual behavior is shaped by socially constructed expectations associated with social positions such as generational cohort and gender (Turner, 2001). In hybrid work settings, where boundaries between work and non-work domains are increasingly blurred, role expectations become more complex and salient. Generational cohorts differ in digital competencies, work values, and expectations regarding flexibility, while gendered expectations continue to shape work experiences within socio-cultural contexts. Accordingly, the study tests three hypotheses: (1) engagement differs across generations, with Generation Z highest and Generation X lowest; (2) gender has a significant main effect; and (3) a significant interaction exists between generation and gender.

The study is based on survey data collected from 400 hybrid workers in Türkiye. Participants were categorized into Generation X, Y, and Z based on birth year. Organizational engagement was measured using the six-item scale developed by Saks (2006), demonstrating acceptable reliability in the present sample. Assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance were met. The analytical strategy included Two-Way ANOVA with Type III sums of squares, Tukey HSD post-hoc tests, and hierarchical regression analysis.

Results indicate a statistically significant main effect of generational cohort on organizational engagement. Post-hoc analyses reveal a consistent ranking pattern: Generation Z reports the highest engagement, followed by Generation Y, and Generation X the lowest. This pattern is consistent across both ANOVA and regression models, indicating that generational membership explains a meaningful but modest proportion of variance in engagement.

Gender does not produce a statistically significant main effect in the ANOVA model. However, hierarchical regression results show that gender becomes significant when generational differences are controlled, with female employees exhibiting lower engagement on average. This discrepancy indicates that gender effects are conditional rather than uniform, suggesting that demographic variables should be modeled jointly rather than independently.

The interaction between generation and gender is statistically significant in both ANOVA and regression models, supporting the third hypothesis. Simple effects analyses reveal heterogeneous patterns across cohorts. Within Generation Y, male employees exhibit significantly higher engagement than female employees (medium effect size). Within Generation Z, the pattern reverses, with female employees showing higher engagement, although not statistically significant. Within Generation X, no meaningful gender difference is observed. Post-hoc comparisons further indicate that Generation Z female employees represent the highest-engagement subgroup, significantly differing from multiple female subgroups in older cohorts.

From a theoretical perspective, the findings extend Role Theory by demonstrating that organizational engagement in hybrid work contexts is shaped through intersectional configurations of generational and gender-based role expectations rather than additive demographic effects. Hybrid work appears to intensify the salience of role alignment, particularly regarding digital competence, autonomy expectations, and work–life boundary management. Generation Z benefits from stronger alignment with digitally enabled work structures, whereas Generation X reflects lower alignment with such environments. Gender differences, especially within Generation Y, may reflect persistent care-related role burdens, while the reversed pattern in Generation Z may indicate shifting norms regarding gender equality and flexibility expectations.

Overall, the study demonstrates that organizational engagement in hybrid work settings is determined not by isolated demographic factors but by their interactive and context-dependent effects. Methodologically, the integration of ANOVA, post-hoc tests, and hierarchical regression provides a robust analytical framework for capturing these dynamics. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations should adopt differentiated engagement strategies, including generation-sensitive policies, gender-responsive flexibility arrangements, reverse mentoring systems, and inclusive workload designs. Despite its contributions, the study is limited by its cross-sectional design and non-probability sampling, restricting causal inference and generalizability. Future research should employ longitudinal designs, cross-sector comparisons, and additional contextual variables such as caregiving responsibilities and organizational culture to further clarify the mechanisms underlying engagement differences in hybrid work environments.