Mediation of job embeddedness and satisfaction in the relationship between task characteristics and turnover: A multilevel study in Portuguese hotels

Author(s):

Aristides I. Ferreira , (Business Research Unit, ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)

Luis F. Martinez , (Nova School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)

José Pereira Lamelas , (Business Research Unit, Universidade Lusófona de Humanidades e Tecnologias, Lisbon, Portugal)

Rosa I. Rodrigues , (Business Research Unit, ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal)

...Show all authors

Single Sentence Summary:

This paper suggests that both at the individual level and the hotel level of analysis, job satisfaction and job embeddedness fully mediate the relationship between different task characteristics and turnover intentions in Portuguese hotels.

Abstract:

Purpose

Employees’ turnover intention is a key problem that hotel managers face daily. This is partially explained by the inevitability of performing tasks with little significance and low identity. This study aims to understand how job embeddedness and job satisfaction could lessen the undesirable effect of task characteristics on turnover intentions.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of 525 employees operating in 46 Portuguese hotels was used in this study. The questionnaire included demographic variables and four reliable instruments used to measure job satisfaction, job characteristics, job embeddedness and turnover intentions. The study used a multilevel statistical approach considering both the individual and the hotel levels of analysis.

Findings

Through multilevel statistics, the findings suggest that both at the individual level and the hotel level of analysis, job satisfaction and job embeddedness fully mediated the relationship between different task characteristics (significance and identity) and turnover intentions.

Research limitations/implications

Despite a possible absence of common method variance, due to the confirmatory factor analysis, social desirability bias may exist because of the self-reported nature of the survey.

Practical implications

Managers should increase the perceived costs of employees leaving the hotel by introducing training programs and plans for career development. Also, to increase job embeddedness, managers should also rethink the organizational dynamics of this industry.

Originality/value

This research provides empirical evidence of the antecedents and mediators of employees’ intentions to leave the hotel industry both at the individual and at the hotel level (multilevel approach).

Keywords:

Job satisfaction, Task significance, Turnover intention, Job embeddedness, Task identity

Type:

Research Paper

Publisher:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Received:

20 March 2015

Revised:

17 July 2015, 17 October 2015, 21 February 2016

Accepted:

12 June 2016

Acknowledgments:

The authors acknowledge the support from ADHP (Associação dos Diretores de Hotéis de Portugal) regarding data collection. This research was partially supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal – PEst-OE/EGE/UI0315/2011.

Copyright:

© Emerald Publishing Limited 2017
Published by Emerald Publishing Limited
Licensed re-use rights only

Citation:

Aristides I. Ferreira, Luis F. Martinez, José Pereira Lamelas, Rosa I. Rodrigues, (2017) "Mediation of job embeddedness and satisfaction in the relationship between task characteristics and turnover: A multilevel study in Portuguese hotels", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 29 Issue: 1, pp.248-267, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2015-0126

Downloads:

The fulltext of this document has been downloaded 1581 times since 2017