Occupational Stress and Turnover Issues Relating to Gender and Ethnicity: The Mediating Effects of Social Support, Locus of Control, and Employment Expectations

Abstract

Abstract : Attracting and retaining qualified employees is a substantial element of the military's human resource function. However, the long-term retention of employees has increased in importance as a result of the military's technological modernization. Employee retention has been the subject of extensive examination in the industrial psychology literature. This body of literature identifies numerous factors as determinants of employee turnover. One such factor, occupational stress, has been linked to turnover in a wide variety of environments. Through the development and testing of a behavioral-based theoretical model, this study attempts to expand our understanding of the turnover process. The study proposes that three factors act as mediators of occupational stress and subsequently impact employee turnover. Specifically, locus of control (personality type), the perception of adequate social support (a source of additional information), and the bestowing of realistic employment expectations (knowledge acquired at hiring) are all modeled as buffers of occupational stress. Results of a path analytic procedure support the theoretical model suggesting that the aforementioned constructs could become critical components of the military's recruitment, enlistment, and retention processes.