A cross-validation of certain job related factors with respect to employees' intention to continue working

Abstract

Using a path analytic model, this research was concerned with cross-validating the results of a 1983 study which examined employees intent to remain with the organization for 5 years or more. In the study of “intent to remain”, a path analytic model was designed using seven antecedent variables. These variables were, Supervision, Communication with Management, Group Cohesion, Opportunity for Promotion, Financial Compensation, Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment. The results from 2,141 employees from a large Ontario organization were cross-validated with a sample of 536 employees from various organizations located in the Maritimes and Ontario (hospital N=407, beverage manufacturing firm N=82, research firm N=47). The results from the original study were supported. From the 1983 study, the model accounted for 18% of the variance in “intent to remain”, while in the present study the model accounted for 20% of the variance in the dependent variable. In an attempt to improve the accuracy of the model, the current study also examined the employees’ “intent to remain” in relation to job transferability, specific job categories, and gender of the employee. Job transferability did not improve the accuracy of the model. However, the model did explain a greater percentage of the variance for the professional (24%) and middle/upper management (41%) jobs. Similarly, while the results were not clear cut with regards to gender, they suggest that the model is a better predictor for male employees. In general the results validate the path analytic model. The 18% and 20% of the variance in “intent to remain” explained by the model is consistent with other models of turnover (Mobley et al., 1979; Michaels and Spector, 1982). This model represents a diagnostic tool that can be an aid in the assessment of turnover.