Public Administration Review · 2011 · 252 citations · 59 references
ManagementHuman Resource ManagementOrganizational BehaviorEmployee EngagementTalent ManagementWorkforce PlanningEmployee MotivationEmployee RetentionEmployee Turnover AnalysisJob RetentionJob SatisfactionRetention In OrganizationsDemographic Differences In TurnoverExtrinsic Job SatisfactionIndependent VariablesJob TurnoverSatisfactionTurnover AntecedentsTurnover DriversWorkplace Satisfaction
The study investigates why U.S. federal employees intend to leave, examining demographic, workplace satisfaction, and organizational factors. The authors use the 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey to test how these factors predict two distinct turnover intentions—leaving the agency versus leaving federal service.
Why do U.S. federal government employees choose to leave the federal service? By focusing on turnover intentions, this article develops propositions about why employees anticipate leaving their jobs along three dimensions: (1) demographic factors, (2) workplace satisfaction factors, and (3) organizational/relational factors. Two distinct measures of turnover intention are advanced that reflect those who intend to leave their agency for another position within the federal government and those who intend to leave the federal government for an outside position. The 2006 Federal Human Capital Survey is used to test the impacts of three clusters of independent variables on these measures of turnover intention. The findings suggest that overall job satisfaction and age affect turnover consistently. Practical recommendations are outlined for public managers seeking to boost employee retention.
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