Prediction of individual job termination from measured job satisfaction and biographical data

Abstract

The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) was administered to a group of 475 employees of a discount store chain at the same time that biographical data were collected. After a lapse of one year, personnel records indicated about 20% of the employees had terminated. “Leavers” were significantly less satisfied on 10 of the 27 MSQ scales and differed from “stayers” on 3 of the 11 biographical items. Several discriminant functions were developed using sets of biographical data alone, the MSQ scales alone and both sets of predictors in combination, to predict termination. The MSQ scales alone resulted in the greatest improvement in the hit rate for predicting “leave” in the cross-validation group.