Affiliations:
1Department of Management, Institut Bisnis Informasi Teknologi dan Bisnis, Medan, Indonesia
2Department of Accounting, Politeknik Ganesha Medan, Medan, Indonesia
3Department of Marketing, Politeknik Unggul LP3M, Medan, Indonesia
The aim of this study is to examine how digital burnout and work alienation influence turnover intention, with toxic leadership as a mediating factor, in order to better understand the psychological challenges faced by higher education teachers. Data were collected through a survey of 293 Generation Y lecturers from five leading universities in Medan City: University of Muhammadiyah North Sumatra, University of Prima Indonesia, University of Pembangunan Panca Budi, University of Islam North Sumatra, and University of Potensi Utama. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to test the proposed hypotheses within the framework of organizational behavior and toxic leadership theory. The results show that digital burnout and work alienation significantly increase turnover intention, while toxic leadership strengthens the relationship between these stressors and lecturers’ desire to leave. The study emphasizes the importance of positive leadership for faculty well-being and retention. Although focused on higher education, further research is needed to confirm these findings in other professional fields. Future studies could also include psychological safety, perceived organizational support, and job satisfaction as mediating factors to provide deeper insights into turnover among millennial professionals.
Digital burnout, Work alienation, Toxic leadership, Turnover intention, Higher education
https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.11.011
Susanto, A., Wijaya, E., Nasib, N., Fadila, Z., & Amelia, R. (2025). Digital burnout, work alienation, and turnover intention: Unveiling the mediating role of toxic leadership among Generation Y lecturers in leading universities in Medan. International Journal of Advanced and Applied Sciences, 12(11), 106–120. https://doi.org/10.21833/ijaas.2025.11.011