Effect of Public Employee’s Length of Service on Turnover Intention

Abstract

This study focuses on the association between length of service and public employees’ turnover intention. While most previous studies investigated the influence of ‘participative management, leadership, job satisfaction, reward/compensation, fairness, and communication,’ a few studies examined the effect of public employees’ length of service on turnover intention. Using a modified and translated version (in Korean) of the Organizational Assessment Survey (OAS) by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, we attempt to answer two research questions: (1) which category (based on length of service) of public employees most often consider turnover, and (2) what factors influence turnover intention, assuming that public employees at different length of service have different reasons for turnover. Contrary to previous findings, we found that: (1) public employees who worked for ‘less than 6 months of service’ have the lowest turnover intention and they are more likely to emphasize leadership and job satisfaction, (2) public employees who worked for ‘6 months to 5 years of service’ have the highest turnover intention and they are more likely to focus on participative management and job satisfaction, and (3) public employees who worked for ‘more than 5 years of service’ are more likely to emphasize the fairness and job satisfaction.