The relationship between job-hopping motives and congruence

Abstract

Orientation: Many organisational turnover and vocational counselling studies have investigated the outcomes associated with person–environment fit. However, few studies have investigated the potential individual difference variables that might lead to person–environment fit.Research purpose: This study set out to investigate the relationship between job-hopping motives and interest–environment fit (i.e. congruence).Motivation for the study: Job-hopping motives reflect individual difference motives that are thought to lead to voluntary turnover behaviour over and above environmental factors. We investigated the hypothesis that these motives might lead to people entering jobs that are congruent with their interests.Research approach/design and method: A cross-sectional survey research design was used. The Job-Hopping Motives Scale was administered to 197 adults. Multiple linear regression and ridge regression were used to investigate the proposed relationships.Main findings: Job-hopping motives were related to congruence, with the escape motive showing a negative partial linear relationship with congruence and the advance motive showing no partial linear relationship with congruence.Practical/managerial implications: Our results suggest that people who have a propensity to frequently change jobs might tend to enter a job that does not necessarily match their interests. This in turn might lead to some of the negative outcomes associated with working in so-called incongruent environments, or alternatively, potentially lead to a cycle of entering and leaving jobs throughout a person’s career.Contribution/value-add: We provide evidence that job-hopping motives might be an organisational-relevant individual difference variable that might lead to working in a congruent or incongruent environment.