Job Characteristics and Experience as Predictors of Occupational Turnover Intention and Exit Behavior in the European Nursing Sector

Abstract

The present study aims to unravel the relationships between job demands and resources, occupational turnover intention, and occupational turnover. To do so, we tested a model wherein associations between nurses' age, tenure in profession and tenure with present employer (experience in the profession), job demands (emotional demands, work-home interference), and job resources (influence at work and opportunities for development) predicted occupational turnover intention, and, subsequently, occupational turnover. A longitudinal survey was conducted among a sample of 753 nurses working in European health care institutions (hospitals, nursing homes, and community/home care). The results supported the hypotheses that job demands are positively related with occupational turnover intention while job resources and experience in the nursing profession are negatively related with occupational turnover intention. We did not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that occupational turnover intention mediates the relationship between job demands and job resources on the one hand, and occupational turnover on the other hand. Experience in the nursing profession had a direct effect on occupational turnover, in addition to the direct effect of occupational turnover intention. The implications of our findings for understanding the process through which health care organizations can affect occupational turnover intention and actual exit behavior, are discussed.