The Impact of Ethical Leadership and Leadership Effectiveness on Employees’ Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Work Related Stress

Abstract

Having significant effects on organizational performance, the determinants of employee turnover has been studied extensively. One of the important antecedents of turnover intention of employees is leadership and work related stress. With this study it was intended to understand the effects of ethical leadership and leadership effectiveness on employees’ turnover intentions. Work related stress is examined as a mediator of the relationship among ethical leadership, leader effectiveness and turnover intention. Using a sample of 1093 employees in 70 firms operating in nine different industries, it was found out that while ethical leadership and leadership effectiveness negatively affects turnover intention of employees, work related stress has a positive effect on employees’ turnover intention. In addition, work related stress occur to be a mediator variable for the proposed relations.