From Organizational Justice Perceptions to Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Effects of Burnout and Job Satisfaction.

Juan Diego Vaamonde,Alicia Omar,Solana Salessi

doi:10.5964/ejop.v14i3.1490

Abstract

Turnover intentions (TI) stand as an insidious problem that impacts on the functioning of organizations and the well-being of their members. Currently, there is a growing interest in identifying the explanatory mechanisms of TI, in order to strengthen and retain valued employees for organizations. In line with this trend, the aim of the present study was to test an integrative serial multiple mediation model that examined the possible mediating role of burnout and job satisfaction in the relationships between organizational justice and TI. To achieve this objective, a cross-sectional empirical study was carried out on a multi-occupational sample of 408 Argentine employees (219 women and 189 men). Participants completed a self-report questionnaire comprising previously validated measures for the target population. Structural equation modeling showed that perceptions of distributive, procedural, and interpersonal justice have negative indirect effects on TI through burnout and job satisfaction, while perceptions of informational justice exert such effects on TI only through job satisfaction. These results indicate that distributive, procedural, and interpersonal justice perceptions relate to lower levels of burnout, which in turn promote greater job satisfaction and lower TI among employees. In addition, informational justice perceptions are positively related to job satisfaction, leading to a decrease in employees’ TI. Findings are discussed in light of their theoretical and practical implications. Managers and human resource professionals could consider the research results in their attempts to design and implement talent retention strategies within organizations.

Highlights

Turnover intentions (TI) stand as an insidious problem that impacts on the functioning of organizations and the well-being of their members
According to previous studies (Colquitt, 2001; Colquitt et al, 2013; Flint et al, 2013; Kim & Kao, 2014; Suurd Ralph & Holmvall, 2016), workers who present less TI are those who perceive fairness in salary, promotions, and other outcomes, in the methods and procedures used to arrive at decisions, in the quality of the interpersonal treatment received, and in the adequacy and amount of explanations provided by management
The structural equation analysis indicates that the relationships between organizational justice and TI are mediated by burnout and job satisfaction in an interconnected chain

Summary

Introduction

Turnover intentions (TI) stand as an insidious problem that impacts on the functioning of organizations and the well-being of their members. While early studies of TI generally focused on their external, work-related and personal correlates, recent research has shifted the focus onto the examination of different models of TI, trying to identify factors that might mediate or moderate the relationships between certain predictor variables and TI (Boroş & Curşeu, 2013; Flint et al, 2013; Suurd Ralph & Holmvall, 2016) In line with this current trend, this paper aims to examine an integrative serial multiple mediation model that posits the possible mediating role of burnout and job satisfaction in the relationships between organizational justice and TI. By examining burnout and job satisfaction as serial mediators in the organizational justice–TI relationship, the study contributes to the understanding of the underlying psychological mechanisms through which organizational justice perceptions influence TI of employees

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Conclusion