The impact of job satisfaction on perceived desirability of leaving : a study in cable manufacturing organizations in Sri Lanka

Abstract

The job satisfaction level is a key determinant for the employees’ leaving or retention decisions. The satisfied employees have a tendency to stay in the organization while the dissatisfied employees have a greater tendency to leave the organization. The research study on impact of job satisfaction on perceived desirability of leaving was conducted by selecting the executive level employees in cable manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka. The main objective of this study was to examine the impact of job satisfaction on perceived desirability of leaving. This was split into three sub objectives as; to examine the type of relationship between the job satisfaction and perceived desirability of leaving, to examine the type of relationship between the availability of outside job alternatives and perceived desirability of leaving and to examine whether the availability of outside job alternatives weaken the negative relationship between the job satisfaction and perceived desirability of leaving. In order to realize these three objectives, three hypotheses were developed and tested by using regression analysis. It was evident in this study that the relationship between the job satisfaction and the perceived desirability of leaving is negative and complies with the similar studies which have been conducted in different contexts. This proves that the dissatisfied employees have intentions to leave the cable manufacturing companies. This study also provided significant evidence to prove the positive relationship between availability of outside job alternatives and perceived desirability of leaving. However, there was no significance evidence to prove that the availability of outside job alternatives has a moderating effect for the relationship of job satisfaction and the perceived desirability of leaving. This represent as the major contribution of this study. Even the literature supports that there is a moderating effect to the main relationship between the job satisfaction and perceived desirability of leaving, there was no significant effect from availability of outside job alternatives which moderate the relationship between the job satisfaction and perceived desirability of leaving. In addition to the main variables, three control variables, which include the age, marital status and the tenure of the executives, have significant effect for the dependent variable-perceived desirability of leaving. Therefore, the findings about the influence of those control variables on perceived desirability of leaving provide some insight to human resources policy changes.

Key Words Job Satisfaction, Availability of Outside Job Alternatives, Perceived Desirability of Leaving, Cable Manufacturing Industry, Executive Employees