Evidence for a Curvilinear Relationship Between Job Performance and Turnover

Abstract

Research on job performance and turnover has not investigated the possibility of a curvilinear relationship between these variables. The present study tested for the presence of a curvilinear relationship between job performance and turnover in two diverse employee groups, using samples of 169 male accountants (average age: 25.6 years) and 107 owner-operator truck drivers (average age: 38.4 years). Measures of performance for the two samples were obtained from company records. Testing for a curvilinear effect within each sample was done by regressing performance and the performance squared term on turnover, and confirming the findings by using logistic regression. The resulting standardized regression equations were plottedfor each sample, using scores one to three standard deviations above and below the mean of the independent variables. Results indicated that performance was related to turnover in a curvilinear fashion in both professional and non-professional samples.