An investigation of the antecedents of turnover intentions and job hopping behavior : An empirical study of universities in Pakistan

Purpose It is believed that dissatisfied employees are more likely to leave, but research shows that satisfied employees also do not necessarily stay. It is important to understand why employees leave. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate empirically the antecedents of turnover intention and job hopping, simultaneously, in Pakistani universities. It investigates the impact of perceived alternative employment, job satisfaction and job involvement on turnover intention and job hopping behavior, with organizational commitment as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach The variables were measured through established questionnaires and the results were analyzed through structural equation modeling on a sample of 250 faculty members from both public and private universities. Findings Results revealed that faculty members do not intend to leave or hop jobs if they are satisfied with their jobs and this relationship is mediated by organizational commitment. Perceived alternative employment also showed a positive relationship with employees’ intentions to quit; while faculty members would job hop, if not satisfied, despite lacking substantial alternative employment opportunities. Practical implications Research reveals that employee retention, even in developing countries, is not just about money. Rather, the satisfaction that a person gets from his/her job or the environment in which the employee works serves as a significant antecedent of employee retention. Thus, accordingly some well-planned perks and rewards can serve as a source of extrinsic as well as intrinsic motivators. Originality/value This study has investigated the impact of job satisfaction, job involvement, perceived alternative employment, organizational commitment, turnover intention and job hopping along with the dimensions of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in a simultaneous manner through structural equation modeling. It will correspondingly add worth to the discussion in the literature about reasons of employee turnover and job hopping behavior within the specific context of Pakistani universities because there are no official statistics available regarding the number of faculty members leaving or job hopping among various universities. In addition, not much work has been done in this regard, therefore, it shall also provide the basis for future research studies.