Effects of professional identity on turnover intention in China's hotel employees: The mediating role of employee engagement and job satisfaction

Abstract

This study investigated the relationships among professional identity, employee engagement, job satisfaction, and turnover intention of hotel employees in China based on the conservation of resources theory. The research was operationalized using empirical data collected from 1312 hotel employees in China. By leveraging the structural equation modeling technique, the findings confirmed that the professional identity of hotel employees is a second-order structure consisting of four dimensions: career practice, career affirmation, identification with commitment, and reconsideration of commitment. Further, the results showed that professional identity has a positive impact on employee engagement and satisfaction and a negative impact on turnover intention. Meanwhile, employee engagement and job satisfaction have negative effects on turnover intention. In addition, we further explained the mediating role of the two variables, namely, employee engagement and job satisfaction, between professional identity and turnover intention. This study contributes by investigating the research field of professional identity in the hospitality workplace and evaluating its impacts on various work performance metrics. Hospitality practitioners and scholars may find many useful insights based on the study findings.