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The mediating effect of exhaustion in the relationship between effort‐reward imbalance and turnover intentions: A 4‐year longitudinal study from Sweden
- Source :
- Journal of Occupational Health
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- Wiley, 2021.
-
Abstract
- Objectives Earlier studies suggest that imbalance between effort and reward at work associates with exhaustion. Others have found that exhaustion increases turnover intentions; an important precursor of actual turnover that also associates with counterproductive work behaviors. Few, however, have studied the associations between effort‐reward imbalance (ERI) and employees’ intentions to leave their current employment, and whether exhaustion is underpinning that relationship. Here, we investigate the mediating role of exhaustion in the effort‐reward imbalance – turnover intentions relationship. Methods Data from three waves covering a time span of four years from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH) were analysed using structural equation modeling. Cross‐lagged mediation analyses were conducted to estimate if associations from ERI to subsequent turnover intentions were mediated by exhaustion. Other causal directions (direct and reversed direct effects, reversed mediation) were also examined. Results A direct path from ERI T1 to turnover intentions T2 was found, but not from ERI T2 to turnover intentions T3. Additionally, results showed that ERI at time points T1/T2 associated significantly with exhaustion two years later (T2/T3). Also, exhaustion at T1 showed a small but statistically significant direct association with turnover intentions at T2 (no association was found between exhaustion T2 and turnover intentions T3). A small, but statistically significant indirect effect from ERI to turnover intentions was found (estimate 0.005; 95% CI 0.002‐0.010). Conclusions Providing a good balance between effort and reward for workers is essential to protect employee health and help retain employees in the organization.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
work engagement
Longitudinal study
Mediation (statistics)
Personnel Turnover
Intention
Burnout
Job Satisfaction
Structural equation modeling
Developmental psychology
Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin
03 medical and health sciences
0302 clinical medicine
Reward
Surveys and Questionnaires
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
030212 general & internal medicine
Fatigue
Applied Psychology
Sweden
burnout
Work engagement
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Public Health, Global Health, Social Medicine and Epidemiology
Direct path
Original Articles
Occupational Health and Environmental Health
Middle Aged
Tillämpad psykologi
030210 environmental & occupational health
Effort reward imbalance
Folkhälsovetenskap, global hälsa, socialmedicin och epidemiologi
Original Article
Female
Current employment
Psychology
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 13489585 and 13419145
- Volume :
- 63
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Journal of Occupational Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....055cd62c97b15dc4f7661853d9cca680