The Relationships Between Work-Related Rumination, Employee Voice and Silence, Turnover Intention, and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

How employees think about their work after the end of their working day has received renewed emphasis recently. Work-related rumination could affect employees' voice behaviour. Some employees could prefer to speak up about ideas or concerns that bother them on an ongoing basis, and other employees can choose instead to remain silent. This could further impact specific organisational outcomes, such as employees' satisfaction in their job and their intention to leave the organisation. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between work-related rumination, employee voice and silence, turnover intention, and job satisfaction. A cross-sectional research design was used to collect data from a general sample of employees (n = 332). Structural equation modelling methods were used for data analysis. The results showed the proposed direct relationships between the research constructs, except between affective rumination and employee voice, and also employee voice and job satisfaction. Indirect relationships also showed how employee voice and silence played mediating roles in the relationships between work-related rumination and turnover intention. Organisations should be aware of the dynamics between work-related rumination and employee voice and silence behaviour within their organisation as this affects outcomes.