Testing a Model of Officer Intentions to Quit

Abstract

Voluntary turnover among law enforcement personnel is a significant concern. However, few studies have considered potential intermediate linkages in the relationship between working conditions and officers’ quit/stay intentions. Utilizing a large cross-sectional sample of U.K.-based officers ( n = 1,789, response rate = 25%), a mediational model of officer turnover intentions was tested. Findings indicated that a number of key psychosocial conditions specified in the U.K. Health and Safety Executive Management Standards Indicator Tool (e.g., job demands, role clarity) were associated with officer intentions to leave; however, when job stress and job satisfaction were entered into the model, these relationships were either reduced, or no longer significant. Findings indicated that task-oriented conditions were more strongly associated with job stress while relational or socially oriented conditions were stronger predictors of job satisfaction. These results highlight that monitoring stress and satisfaction may be a valuable component of officer retention efforts, and could offer early-warning of impending turnover among staff.