Work engagement, burnout and related constructs as predictors of turnover intentions

Abstract

<strong>Orientation:</strong> The focus of the study was to investigate the predictive relationship between the work engagement-burnout continuum and turnover intentions.<p><strong>Research purpose:</strong> The main purpose of the study was to determine whether work engagement, burnout, organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) and work alienation are predictors of turnover intentions.</p><p><strong>Motivation for the study:</strong> Organisations operating within the 21st century face significant challenges in the management of talent and human capital. One in particular is voluntary employee turnover and the lack of appropriate business models to track this process.</p><p><strong>Research design, approach and method:</strong> A secondary data analysis (SDA) was performed in a quantitative research tradition on the cross-sectional survey data collected from a large South African Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector company (<em>n</em> = 2429).</p><p><strong>Main findings:</strong> The results of the study confirmed the predictive model (work engagement, burnout, OCB and work alienation) of turnover intention. Specifically, work engagement and OCBs were significantly negatively related to turnover intention; whilst burnout and work alienation were significantly positively related to turnover intention. Several third-variable relationships, such as biographic and demographic variables, indicated statistical significance.</p><p><strong>Practical/managerial implications:</strong> Practical implications of the study could impact on human resource (HR) value-chain activities in the form of evidence-based and improved recruitment and selection procedures, employee retention strategies and training and development interventions. Issues concerning talent management could also be addressed.</p><p><strong>Contribution/value-add:</strong> The study described in this article took Industrial/Organisational (I/O) psychological concepts and linked them in unique combinations to establish better predictive validity of a new turnover intentions model.</p><p><strong>How to cite this article:</strong><br /> Du Plooy, J., & Roodt, G. (2010). Work engagement, burnout and related constructs as predictors of turnover intentions. <em>SA Journal of Industrial Psychology/SA Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde, 36</em>(1), Art. #910, 13 pages. DOI: 10.4102/sajip.v36i1.910</p&gt

Biographical and demographical variables as moderators in the prediction of turnover intentions

“…The predictive model of this study was based on the regression equation of the prediction of TI [TI = 1.836 + 0.495AL + 0.318BO -0.180WE + 0.091OCB] (du Plooy & Roodt, 2010) and moderator effects were tested within this framework.…”

“…The predictive model of TI has been substantiated, that is, work engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour were negatively related to TI, and burnout and work alienation were positively related to TI (Du Plooy & Roodt, 2010). It is on this predictive model of TIs that the possible moderator effects will be tested.…”

“…The predictive model of TIs, that is, the WE and BO continuum and the constructs OCB and AL (Du Plooy & Roodt, 2010), depicts that both biographic (Hypothesis 1 to Hypothesis 5) and demographic variables (Hypothesis 6 to Hypothesis 7) may moderate this relationship.…”

“…Studies reporting results on reasons why employees choose to leave or stay with a particular organisation (Bothma & Roodt, 2012;Du Plooy & Roodt, 2010;Greyling & Stanz, 2010;Griffeth, Hom & Gaertner, 2000;Kotzé & Roodt, 2005;Mendes & Stander, 2011) are gaining importance and most of them focus on a set of negative consequences associated with employee turnover (Bluedorn, 1982;Greyling & Stanz, 2010;Mobley, 1982;Roodt & Bothma, 1997). Corporate sustainability issues are gaining momentum and an example of this is the behaviour of the modern and informed investor who no longer assesses the quality of the organisation at present, but the organisation's risk management and whether it has established sustainability strategies pertinent to its business (King III Report, 2009).…”

Retention and Engagement of Generation Y Engineers

“…Various types of work-related engagement have been distinguished (Anthony-McMann, Ellinger, Astakhova & Halbesleben, 2016), including job engagement, organisational engagement, personal engagement, work engagement, employee engagement and career engagement (Du Plooy & Roodt, 2010;Hirschi, & Freund, 2014;Neault, & Pickerell, 2011;Saks & Gruman, 2014;Simpson, 2009). As these distinctive types of engagement differ in their respective antecedents and consequences, it is important to differentiate between them (Saks, 2006;Simpson, 2009) to curb confusion when researching the phenomenon (Anthony-McMann, et al, 2016;Schaufeli & Bakker, 2010).…”