Social Support and Employee Turnover Intention: Mediating Role of Work-Family Conflict

• Published in: Revista brasileira de gestão de negócios Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 48 - 65
• Main Authors: Bajaba, Saleh, Azim, Mohammad Tahlil, Uddin, Aftab
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: São Paulo Fundacao Escola de Comercio Alvares Penteado (FECAP) 01.01.2022; Centro Universitário FECAP, mantido pela Fundação Escola de Comericio Álvares Penteado (FECAP)
• Subjects: Conflict; Design; Employee turnover; Resource conservation; Social exchange theory; Social support; Work life balance; Arabia Saudita; Saudi Arabia
• ISSN: 1806-4892; 1983-0807
• DOI: 10.7819/rbgn.v24i1.4153

Purpose--The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of workplace social support (WSS) and family social support (FSS) on employee turnover intention (TI) through both forms of work-family conflict (WFC), namely, work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW). Theoretical framework--The study is theoretically grounded on social exchange theory (Blau, 1964), the job demand-control-support model (Johnson & Hall 1988), cognitive appraisal theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), and Hobfoll's (1989) conservation of resources theory. Design/methodology/ approach--The study used a cross-sectional survey design. The multi-item measurement scales were developed based on prior studies to design survey questionnaires. An analysis was performed on 277 responses from employees working in different government and private firms in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia. The hypotheses were tested using SmartPLS3. Findings--The investigation finds that both WSS and FSS significantly predict TI, and both WIF and FIW partially mediate the WSS-TI and FSS-TI relationships. The results demonstrate that support from both the family and work domains lead to a reciprocal relationship, and they play important roles in reducing work-family conflict, ultimately having a desirable impact on turnover. Practical & social implications of the research--Management should create a supportive environment for employees within the workplace and ensure family-friendly policies so as to minimize work-family conflict. The study indicates that family members play a crucial role in reducing the stress associated with the work domain. Therefore, everybody should extend support to their working family members. Originality/value--This is a pioneering attempt to investigate the implications of both WSS and FSS on both types of WFC (i.e., WIF and FIW) and their ultimate effect on TI. Keywords--Work social support. Family social support. Turnover intention. Work-family conflict. Saudi Arabia.