Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a study on the antecedents of turnover intentions (TOI) of millennial Colombian employees. A theoretical model in which positive work-family interaction, professional respect (PR) and meaning predicted TOI is simultaneously tested in Millennials and Xers. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a multigroup structural equation approach to analyze the data provided by 2,157 Millennials and 279 Xers. Participants work in 11 companies from five Colombian cities. City, age, sex, tenure and wage are included as control variables to respond to some limitations of previous research and isolate the effects of age cohorts. Findings The results show differences in terms of some of the variables under study. Further, the effects of positive work-family interaction and PR on TOI were different from one age cohort to the other. The influence of meaning on the outcome variable was equal in Millennials and Xers but resulted positive. Research limitations/implications The authors studied an under-researched population, used rigorous analytical procedures to simultaneously test the hypotheses across generations, analyzed data from a large sample size and control for confounding variables identified by researchers inquiring generational differences at the workplace. By these means, the study contributes to literature on millennial employees and age diversity. Originality/value By studying an under-reseach population and using suitable analytical techniques, the study contributes to literature on millennial employees and age diversity.