Job stress and turnover intention revisited: evidence from Korean firms

Abstract

This study revisits the relationship between job stress and turnover intention for employees using a sample of employees in public companies of Korea. The authors investigate both the effect of job stress on turnover and the process by which job stress affects employee turnover. In particular, they prove that job satisfaction mediates the relationship between stress and turnover intention of the employees. Furthermore, the authors explore the job stress-turnover relationship by extending a review of the organizational justice perspective and posit whether an employee perceived organizational justice could mitigate the presumed adverse effects of job stress on turnover intention. They suggest empirical evidence that there is a significant positive relationship between job stress and turnover intention, and that job satisfaction partially mediates this relationship. However, the authors found no strong evidence of moderating roles of perceived organizational justice. Based on the job demands-resources (JDR) model, the relationship between job stress and turnover intention is evidenced. Besides, the study implies that the incidence of perceived organizational justice fails to mitigate the effect of these value-decreasing job stressors on employee turnover.