Can a four‐dimensional model of occupational commitment help to explain intent to leave one's occupation?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test whether a four‐dimensional model of occupational commitment could help to help explain intent to leave one's occupation. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 2,032 massage therapists and bodywork practitioners completed an on‐line survey measuring occupational commitment, intent to leave occupation, job satisfaction, job perception, and personal variables. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings – Controlling for personal and then job‐related variables, general job satisfaction was a significant negative correlate of intent to leave the occupation beyond these variables. Controlling for personal, job‐related and job satisfaction, three of the four occupational commitment dimensions, affective, accumulated costs, and limited alternatives, were each significant negative correlates of intent to leave. Normative commitment was not a significant correlate. After controlling for lower‐order interactions, a four‐way interaction of the occupational commitment dimensions explained significant additional variance in intent to leave. Separate “high” (versus “low”) cumulative commitment subgroups were created by selecting respondents who were equal to or above (versus below) the median on each of the four occupational commitment dimensions. An independent samples t ‐test indicated that low cumulative commitment massage therapists and bodywork practitioners were more likely to intend to leave than high cumulative commitment practitioners. Research limitations/implications – Despite the cross‐sectional, self‐report research design, the results suggest that a four‐dimensional model of occupational commitment is useful for understanding intent to leave occupation. Given the costs and difficulties associated with changing occupations, follow‐up research using other samples and additional noted research design variables is needed. Originality/value – The results and recommendations in the paper will be of interest to those involved in the field of human resources.