The Effect of Employee Empowerment, Organizational Support, and Ethical Climate on Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction

Abstract

The effectiveness and efficiency of any organization is dependent on the empowerment of its human resources as well as the presence of an ethical climate and organizational support. Hence, this article aims to analyze the impact of employee empowerment, ethical climate, and perceived organizational support on employee turnover intention directly and indirectly with the mediating role of job satisfaction. The data related to a sample of 215 employees of one of the biggest universities in Mashhad, Iran, was obtained using a questionnaire, which was then analyzed by Warp PLS 4. Results show that job satisfaction has a negative effect on turnover intention. Moreover, the positive effect of employee empowerment, ethical climate, and perceived organizational support on job satisfaction and the negative effect of ethical climate and perceived organizational support on turnover intention are supported. Results also support the point that job satisfaction mediates the effect of ethical context and perceived organizational support on turnover intention. The current study contributes to the present organizational literature on the social exchange theory and human resource outcomes. Guidelines are provided to the managers on how to address job satisfaction and turnover intension.