Gone Today but here Tomorrow: Extending the Unfolding Model of Turnover to Consider Boomerang Employees

Employee turnover and the social outreach (breadth): international evidence from the microfinance industry

Purpose

Earlier studies on employee turnover have invested enormous scholarly mileage to understand and address human resource challenges. Considering the substantial evidence on the negative and non-linear relationship between employee turnover and firms’ performance, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of employee turnover on the social outreach (e.g. breadth of outreach) of microfinance institutions (MFIs), also known as the financial inclusion agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the study objective, the authors collected unbalanced panel data of 1,391 MFIs, covering a total of 96 economies and a period of 2010–2018. The organizational and macroeconomic data were obtained from the World Bank’s Mix Market and World Development Indicators databases, respectively, and subsequently analysed using the pooled ordinary least squares, random effects model, fixed effects model and generalized method of moments.

Findings

Overall, the authors found that employee turnover has a positive impact on the social outreach of MFIs, which suggests that employee turnover reduces organizational blindness and groupthink, potentiates efficiency gains and minimizes retention costs. On the contrary, this study does not find evidence of a non-linear effect of employee turnover on the outreach objectives of MFIs. Meanwhile, these effects were observed to vary depending on the proxy, sub-samples and techniques used in the analysis.

Originality/value

Motivated by the paucity of literature, the study has uniquely investigated the effect of employee turnover on the social outreach objective of MFIs by using relatively recent and global-level data. The study findings can help managers and the human resource departments to make optimum decisions about employee turnover management.

“I Put In My Two Weeks Notice!” Employee Behavior and Wellness Prior to Exit

Previous research has identified four distinct “proximal withdrawal states” among employees. That is, employees can generally be distinguished by their desire to stay or leave (e.g., “stayers” or “leavers”) and their control over this desire (e.g., “enthusiastic” versus “reluctant” staying or leaving). However, little is known about how these withdrawal states impact voluntary behavior and employee wellness. Thus, we examined these relationships in US ( n = 516) and South Korea ( n = 414). Latent profile analysis indicated that there are two profiles of stayers (i.e., embedded stayers and detached stayers) and two of seekers (i.e., dissatisfied seekers and script-driven seekers) in both samples. US and Korean profiles were consistent, except seekers differed by country based on planning, job seeking, and socio-emotional reasons. We also found that profiles differentially predicted work behaviors and wellness outcomes, such that embedded stayers showed most adaptive behavioral patterns, whereas script-driven seekers reported the least wellness.

How ex-employee citizenship behavior is generated: From the perspective of legacy identification

The termination of employment is not the end of an organization–employee relationship. As ex-employees can provide various benefits to their former organizations, and a large number of ex-employees have accumulated in enterprises because of increased employee mobility, research on ex-employees’ contribution behavior, and how it is generated are significant to organizations in making use of their ex-employees effectively and consequently improving organizational efficiency. Based on the research into organizational citizenship behavior, Study 1 extended the focus of organizational citizenship behavior research to include ex-employees, introducing the concept of ex-employee citizenship behavior. The measurement of ex-employee citizenship behavior was developed based on Hinkin’s tutorial. Using social identity theory, Study 2 discussed how ex-employee citizenship behavior is generated. A two-wave survey of 291 former employees was conducted. Hierarchical regression analysis and the bootstrap method were then applied to test the hypotheses. The results showed that legacy identification was positively related to ex-employee citizenship behavior. Furthermore, the interaction between perceived organizational prestige and perceived insider status was positively related to legacy identification. Perceived organizational prestige and perceived insider status were also indirectly and interactively related to ex-employee citizenship behavior through legacy identification. The positive relationship between legacy identification and ex-employee citizenship behavior was moderated by the cooperative relationship between the current and former organizations. Additionally, the indirect positive effect of the interaction between perceived organizational prestige and perceived insider status on ex-employee citizenship behavior through legacy identification is moderated by the cooperative relationship between the current and former organizations. The theoretical and practical implications of this study were discussed. Finally, the limitations of this study were presented alongside suggestions for future research.

Temporal contexts and actors vis-a-vis I-deals' timing and creation: Evidence from Nigeria

I-deals (that is, personalised, non-standard employment arrangements negotiated between employees and their employers) arise at different stages of the employment lifecycle. I-deals can vary by timing, such as those created before hire (ex-ante) versus after hire (ex-post). However, scholars have not fully considered the impact of the temporal context (environmental, social, economic, individual) on I-deals or how a range of organisational actors may respond to enabling/constraining conditions when creating I-deals. Our paper focuses on the under-explored issue of I-deals’ timing by applying the theoretical lens of institutional entrepreneurship (IE). Key IE concepts enable a more critical understanding of broader temporal context impacts and the role of various actors (I-dealers, organisational agents) in creating I-deals. Drawing on a multicase study of 3 Nigerian organisations (62 semi-structured interviews, including fieldnotes and organisation-specific documents), our data revealed that field-level conditions and actors’ social positions interact to highlight (i) several distinctive temporal contexts, (ii) with differential impacts on I-deals’ timing and subsequently (iii) organisational actors adopting a range of tactics in response to enabling/constraining conditions. Based on these findings, we offer a theoretical model that reconceptualises I-deals’ timing by specifically focusing on the invisible concept of time. Finally, we discuss our study’s implications for I-deal research and offer future research directions and recommendations for practice.

The Generative Mechanism of Boomerang Intention: From the Perspective of Legacy Identification

Boomerang employment has become an increasingly significant third way to obtain employees, yet little research has focused on why does ex-employee want to come back. Drawing from social identity theory, we propose that legacy identification could increase boomerang intention and both perceived corporate prestige and psychological contract violation could affect boomerang intention through legacy identification. The cooperative relationship between the former organization and the current organization could enhance these effects. Results from a two-time points survey of 202 Chinese employees showed that legacy identification could increase boomerang intention, perceived corporate prestige could increase boomerang intention via legacy identification, psychological contract violation could decrease boomerang intention via legacy identification. Besides, the positive effect of legacy identification on boomerang intention, the positive indirect effect of corporate prestige on boomerang intention via legacy identification, and the negative indirect effect of psychological contract violation on boomerang intention via legacy identification are all stronger when there is a cooperative relationship. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

The role of career shocks in contemporary career development: key challenges and ways forward

Purpose

This article aims to introduce the special issue entitled “the role of career shocks in contemporary career development,” synthesize key contributions and formulate a future research agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors provide an introduction of the current state-of-the-art in career shocks research, offer an overview of the key lessons learned from the special issue and present several important avenues for future research.

Findings

The authors discuss how the special issue articles contribute to a better understanding of career shocks' role in contemporary career development, focusing on (1) conceptual clarity of the notion of career shocks, (2) career outcomes of career shocks, (3) mechanisms that can explain the impact of career shocks and (4) interdisciplinary connectivity.

Originality/value

This article offers a synthesis of the critical contributions made within this special issue, thereby formulating key ways to bring the field of career shocks research forward. It also provides new avenues for research.

The effect of on-the-job shocks on employees’ intention to stay: an investigation of organizational embeddedness

Purpose

Using the theoretical lens of sensemaking, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between on-the-job shocks, as experienced by the employees and intention to stay (IS) by shedding light on the mediating role of organizational embeddedness (OE) and the moderating role of commitment human resource practices (CHRP).

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a time-lagged research design, collecting data from 304 employees from 48 teams in China to conduct multilevel structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that employees who suffer on-the-job shocks tend to decrease their IS in organizations via OE. However, CHRP did not bound the main effect of on-the-job shocks on OE.

Practical implications

Given the increasingly dynamic business environment, employees constantly encounter shocks in the workplace. Organizations or leaders should be aware of the on-the-job shocks in harming employee retention.

Originality/value

The research highlights workplace events’ significance in investigating employees’ retention and specifically offers glimpses into the mechanisms by which on-the-job shocks manifest themselves in employees’ IS.

Occupational Health and Safety and Turnover Intention in the Ghanaian Power Industry: The Mediating Effect of Organizational Commitment

This study aimed at investigating the effect of occupational health and safety (OHS) on employee's turnover intention (TI) with the mediating effect of organizational commitment (OC) in the Ghanaian power industry. Methods. With stratified sampling technique, 350 participants were selected to participate in the study with standardized quantitative questionnaires to measure the variables involved in the study and SmartPLS 3-structural equation modeling technique to analyze the data. Results. The results showed that (1) occupational health and safety and turnover intention are negatively related (β = 0.245, p < 0.05); (2) there exists a positive relationship between occupational health and safety and organizational commitment (β = 0.820, p < 0.05); (3) organizational commitment and turnover intention are negatively related (β = 0.640, p < 0.05); and (4) organizational commitment significantly mediates the relationship between occupational health and safety and turnover intention (indirect effect = -0.53 and direct effect = -0.25, p < 0.05). Conclusion. Employees satisfied with the health and safety system of their organization tend to be committed to their organization and have low turnover intention, and vice versa.

Validation of the Job-Hopping Motives Scale

Job-hopping is the practice of making frequent voluntary job changes. Integrating theory and research from career and organizational turnover research, two distinct motives for job-hopping were proposed. The escape motive describes frequently changing jobs to escape disliked work environments, whereas the advancement motive describes frequently changing jobs as a means of career advancement. A self-report measure of job-hopping motives was developed and validated using responses from 221 students and 1,528 adults. Factor analysis showed that the motives are distinct but moderately related. The escape motive was associated with negative reactivity (impulsivity, negative affect) and script-based turnover decisions. The advancement motive was associated with positive proactivity (persistence, growth need strength), and protean, boundaryless, and kaleidoscope career theory components. Both motives were associated with organizational withdrawal, quick turnover decisions, and increased turnover. Job-hopping motives predicted historic job change rate over and above demographic, career, and organizational turnover variables.

Recruiting nurses through social media: Effects on employer brand and attractiveness

AIM

To investigate whether and how nurses' exposure to a hospital's profile on social media affects their perceptions of the hospital's brand and attractiveness as an employer.

BACKGROUND

Since in many places across the globe hospitals are struggling with nursing shortages, competition is rising to be perceived as an attractive employer by this target group. Organizations are increasingly using social media for recruitment, however, little is known about its effects on potential applicants' perceptions of the organization as an employer. We thus examine whether these effects occur and rely on the media richness theory to explain the mechanisms at play.

DESIGN

A between-subjects experimental design was applied. Three conditions were used: a control group, one condition that required visiting the Facebook page of a hospital and one condition that required visiting the LinkedIn page.

METHOD

The focal organization was an existing Belgian hospital which had a LinkedIn and a Facebook page. An online questionnaire was sent to nursing students and employed nurses over 5 months in 2015-2016.

RESULTS

Nurses' exposure to the hospital's Facebook or LinkedIn page had a significant positive effect on a majority of the employer brand dimensions, both instrumental and symbolic. In addition, nurses who visited the Facebook page felt more attracted to working at the hospital. Most of these effects were mediated by social presence.

CONCLUSION

Nurses' perceptions of employers can be positively influenced by seeing a hospital's social media page. Hospitals can thus employ social media to improve their employer brand image and attractiveness.