For whom are family-owned firms good employers? An exploratory study of the turnover intentions of blue- and white-collar workers in family-owned and non-family-owned firms

Abstract

This study investigates turnover intentions of different groups of non-family employees in family-owned firms and non-family-owned firms. Raising the question for whom are family-owned firms good employers, we add to the debate on their employer-qualities. Building on job embeddedness theory, we underline the importance of differentiating groups of non-family employees when analyzing their turnover intentions in the family and non-family business context. We focus on the differences among and between blue-collar workers and white-collar workers with and without leadership responsibility and find that turnover intentions of blue-collar workers with leadership responsibility are lower when they are employed in family-owned firms. We observe an opposing trend for white-collar workers with leadership responsibility, who show higher turnover intentions when they are employed in family-owned firms.