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How can managers reduce employee intention to quit?

Lucy Firth (Department of Information Systems, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia)
David J. Mellor (School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)
Kathleen A. Moore (School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)
Claude Loquet (School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia)

Journal of Managerial Psychology

ISSN: 0268-3946

Article publication date: 1 March 2004

24521

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation of the variables that may be predictive of intentions to leave a job, and tests a model that includes mediating variables. A total of 173 retail salespeople completed questionnaires measuring commitment to the organization for which they worked, job satisfaction, stress, supervisor support, locus of control, self‐esteem, the perceived stressors in the job and their intention to quit. Path analysis was used to test the relationships hypothesized in the model. The majority of hypotheses were supported, with the variables included accounting for 52 per cent of the variance in intention to quit. Emotional support from supervisors and self‐esteem mediated the impact of stressors on stress reactions, job satisfaction, commitment to the organization and intention to quit. It is suggested that to ameliorate intention to quit and in turn reduce turnover, managers need to actively monitor workloads, and the relationships between supervisors and subordinates in order to reduce and manage stress. Managers also need to monitor both the extrinsic and intrinsic sources of job satisfaction available to employees. These activities could assist in maintaining and increasing job satisfaction and commitment to the organization.

Keywords

Citation

Firth, L., Mellor, D.J., Moore, K.A. and Loquet, C. (2004), "How can managers reduce employee intention to quit?", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 170-187. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940410526127

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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