Factors affecting hotel employees’ attrition and turnover: Application of pull-push-mooring framework

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the turnover intentions of hotel employees in the short-, medium-, and long-term using the pull-push-mooring framework. An extensive review of the literature resulted in eight push, five pull, and one mooring factors. A total of 308 five-star hotel employees participated in this research endeavor. The authors collected data using a survey questionnaire from five-star hotel employees in the Kuala Lumpur region. The researchers used PLS-SEM to empirically test the proposed hypotheses. Among the eight push factors identified, six factors were supported overall, and three factors were supported in short-, medium-, and long-term turnover intention. Among the five pull factors identified, two factors were supported in short-, medium-, and long-term turnover intention. The moderation effect was significant only in the medium-term. The discussions and implications include how the results are useful to hospitality HR managers and professionals for improving employee retention. The authors also discuss the limitations and directions for future research.