The Buffering Effect of Spirituality at Work on the Mediated Relationship between Job Demands and Turnover Intention among Teachers

Edyta Charzyńska,Magdalena Sitko-Dominik,Małgorzata Kitlińska-Król,Joanna Góźdź,Irena Polewczyk

doi:10.3390/rel12090781

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine whether spirituality at work moderates the direct and indirect (through burnout) effects of quantitative and emotional job demands on turnover intention among teachers. The sample consisted of 952 Polish primary and secondary school teachers. Burnout mediated the relationship between both types of job demands and turnover intention. In the model with quantitative job demands as an independent variable, spirituality at work moderated the second stage path of the indirect effect, i.e., the relationship between burnout and turnover intention (b = −0.022; SE = 0.004; p < 0.001; β = −0.14). In the model with emotional job demands as an independent variable, spirituality at work moderated the first and second stage paths of the indirect effect, i.e., the relationship between emotional job demands and burnout (b = −0.001; SE = 0.001; p = 0.032; β = −0.05) and the relationship between burnout and turnover intention (b = −0.020; SE = 0.004; p < 0.001; β = −0.14). In both models, the indirect effect of job demands on turnover intention through burnout weakened as spirituality at work increased. The results of the study support the inclusion of spirituality at work as a subcategory of personal resources in studies using the job demands-resources model.

Highlights

Nowadays, teaching is regarded as a stressful and demanding occupation with high rates of exhaustion and turnover (Hakanen et al 2006; Liu and Onwuegbuzie 2012; Lorente et al 2008; Noor and Zainuddin 2011)
The results of the analysis showed that the indirect relationship through burnout was moderated by spirituality at work for both quantitative and emotional job demands; more precisely, the indirect effect of job demands on turnover intention through burnout was weaker for teachers with higher levels of spirituality at work compared with teachers with lower levels
Our study demonstrated that the indirect effect of job demands on turnover intention through burnout decreased as the level of spirituality increased

Summary

Introduction

Nowadays, teaching is regarded as a stressful and demanding occupation with high rates of exhaustion and turnover (Hakanen et al 2006; Liu and Onwuegbuzie 2012; Lorente et al 2008; Noor and Zainuddin 2011). This situation is determined, among other factors, by teachers’ multiple job requirements, duties and responsibilities, and the need to have multiple competencies and skills (Antoniou et al 2013). Job demands may be seen as challenges in work, which are required for personal growth and accomplishment, they may become stressors in situations that require high effort to sustain an expected performance level, inducing negative responses and sometimes even leading to energy depletion (Hakanen et al 2006; Simbula 2010)

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