The Indirect Effect of Job Resources on Employees’ Intention to Stay: A Serial Mediation Model with Psychological Capital and Work–Life Balance as the Mediators

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a sudden shift from work in an office setting to work from home. The flexibility and job autonomy achieved through telecommuting ought to facilitate positive outcomes among employees. Apart from a few contradicting studies, telecommuting literature predominantly revolves around the positive aspects of working from home. However, the number of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs has increased since “the great resignation” in March 2021. Therefore, building upon the conservation of resource theory and the job demands and resources framework, the current study tests the influence of specific job resources, job autonomy (JA), and perceived organizational support (POS) on employees’ intention to stay (IS) directly and indirectly through a unique serial mediation pathway of psychological capital (PsyCap) and work–life balance (WLB). The results affirmed that JA and POS have a positive association with employees’ IS. Moreover, PsyCap and WLB were also found serially mediating the direct association between JA, POS, and employees’ IS. The current study’s findings offer valuable insights for HR managers on the relevance of specific job resources and the role of psychological capital in controlling attrition rates. The findings of this study could be helpful for HR managers to design measures to reduce attrition rates and foster work–life balance and positive outcomes among employees. This study is among the first to instrument the indirect role (serial mediation) of PsyCap between job resources, WLB, and employees’ IS, thus significantly contributing to the literature.