Decoding Employee Exit: A Systematic Review of Turnover Intention and Its Determinants
Keywords:
Employee turnover, Job satisfaction, Leadership style, Supervisor support, Job insecurity, Job embeddedness, Employee retention.Abstract
Employee turnover continues to be a major issue for businesses, as it affects financial performance, workplace stability, and productivity. It is necessary to comprehend turnover intention and its factors in order to design effective retention tactics. In this systematic literature review (SLR), the findings of peer-reviewed studies published in esteemed journals that are included in major academic databases like Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Springer Link, and others are compiled. The goal of the review is to compile the body of knowledge and offer a thorough grasp of the variables affecting turnover intention. The findings show that a number of individual factors, including job engagement, emotional exhaustion, burnout, and job insecurity, influence the intention to leave a job. Other important drivers include organizational elements like commitment, supervisor support, leadership style, and job satisfaction. Employee departure decisions are also influenced by outside factors like labor market dynamics, economic conditions, and the availability of alternative employment opportunities. These associations were found to be moderated by demographic factors such as tenure, age, gender, and generational differences, indicating that retention tactics need to be customized to fit a range of employee profiles. Understanding turnover behaviors is supported by a number of theoretical frameworks, most notably the Push-Pull-Mooring (PPM) Model, Job Embeddedness Theory, and Social Exchange Theory. These models place a strong emphasis on elements like workplace attachment, perceived organizational support, and striking a balance between opportunities from outside sources and internal discontent. For academics and professionals looking to comprehend and reduce turnover risks, this review provides insightful information. It also emphasizes how future studies must concentrate on longitudinal designs in order to capture how turnover intention changes over time.
Downloads
Metrics
References
A’yuninnisa, R. N., & Saptoto, R. (2015). The effects of pay satisfaction and affective commitment on turnover intention. International Journal of Research Studies in Psychology, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrsp.2015.1055
Abdalla, M. J., Said, H., Ali, L., Ali, F., & Chen, X. (2021). COVID-19 and unpaid leave: Impacts of psychological contract breach on organizational distrust and turnover intention: Mediating role of emotional exhaustion. Tourism Management Perspectives, 39, 100854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2021.100854
Abdelhakim, A., & Agwa, Y. (2022). The Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intention in Fast-Food Restaurants in Egypt. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 5(1), 321–340. https://doi.org/10.21608/ijthm.2022.239778
Abdou, A. H., Khalil, A. A. F., Mahmoud, H. M. E., Elsaied, M. A., & Elsaed, A. A. (2022). The Impact of Hospitality Work Environment on Employees’ Turnover Intentions During COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Role of Work-Family Conflict. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(1). frontiersin. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.890418
Aburumman, O., Salleh, A., Omar, K., & Abadi, M. (2020). The Impact of Human Resource Management Practices and Career Satisfaction on Employee’s Turnover Intention. Management Science Letters, 10(3), 641–652.
Ahmad, S., Nisar, Q. A., Aziz, K., & Younus, S. (2019). The role of organisational socialisation tactics and task characteristics toward turnover intentions: mediating role of job embeddedness. Middle East J. Of Management, 6(1), 75. https://doi.org/10.1504/mejm.2019.097367
Arshad, H., & Puteh, F. (2015). Determinants of Turnover Intention among Employees. Journal of Administrative Science, 12. https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/44739/1/44739.pdf
Avanzi, L., Fraccaroli, F., Sarchielli, G., Ullrich, J., & van Dick, R. (2014). Staying or leaving. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 63(3), 272–289. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-02-2013-0028
Ban, R., & Aimi Anuar. (2024). The Determinants of Job Satisfaction Towards Turnover Intention Among Employees in Banking Industry. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 9(3), e002733–e002733. https://doi.org/10.47405/mjssh.v9i3.2733
Bhattacharya, S., Kunte, M., Gupta, P., & Neelam, N. (2017). Role overload, role self distance, role stagnation as determinants of job satisfaction and turnover intention in banking sector. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine, 39(5), 590. https://doi.org/10.4103/0253-7176.217022
Brisha Savira, Annas, M., & Hendy Tannady. (2024). Determinants Factors Turnover Intention of Employees In Trading and Furniture Manufacture Company. Bulletin of Counseling and Psychotherapy, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.51214/00202406863000
Cha, H. S., & Quan, J. (2011). A Global Perspective on Information Systems Personnel Turnover. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 14(4), 4–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/1097198x.2011.10856547
Chalim, A. S. (2018). Effect of Job-Insecurity, Organizational Commitment, Job Satisfaction on Turnover Intention: A Case Study of Newcomer Lecturers at Private Islamic Universities in East Java Province, Indonesia. Jurnal Ilmiah Peuradeun, 6(2), 199. https://doi.org/10.26811/peuradeun.v6i2.284
Chen, D., Lin, Q., Yang, T., Shi, L., Bao, X., & Wang, D. (2022). Distributive Justice and Turnover Intention Among Medical Staff in Shenzhen, China: The Mediating Effects of Organizational Commitment and Work Engagement. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, Volume 15, 665–676. https://doi.org/10.2147/rmhp.s357654
Chen, L., & Chen, L. (2023). To Stay or to Leave: The Turnover Intentions of International Academics at Japanese Universities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28(3), 376–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153231164842
Chen, M.-L., Su, Z.-Y., Lo, C.-L., Chiu, C.-H., Hu, Y.-H., & Shieh, T.-Y. (2014). An empirical study on the factors influencing the turnover intention of dentists in hospitals in Taiwan. Journal of Dental Sciences, 9(4), 332–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jds.2013.01.003
Cho, Y. J., & Song, H. J. (2017). Determinants of Turnover Intention of Social Workers. Public Personnel Management, 46(1), 41–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091026017696395
Chouki, M., Talea, M., Okar, C., & Chroqui, R. (2020). Barriers to Information Technology Adoption Within Small and Medium Enterprises: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 17(01), 2050007. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0219877020500078
De los Santos, J. A. A., & Labrague, L. J. (2021). The impact of fear of COVID-19 on job stress, and turnover intentions of frontline nurses in the community: A cross-sectional study in the Philippines. Traumatology, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000294
Dousin, O., Collins, N., Bartram, T., & Stanton, P. (2020). The relationship between work‐life balance, the need for achievement, and intention to leave: Mixed‐method study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14724
Ferede, A., Kibret, G. D., Million, Y., Simeneh, M. M., Belay, Y. A., & Hailemariam, D. (2018). Magnitude of Turnover Intention and Associated Factors among Health Professionals Working in Public Health Institutions of North Shoa Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. BioMed Research International, 2018, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3165379
Flint, D., Haley, L. M., & McNally, J. J. (2013). Individual and organizational determinants of turnover intent. Personnel Review, 42(5), 552–572. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-03-2012-0051
Hadi Cahyadi, Andrias, D., Masman, R. R., Estralita Trisnawati, & Wijaya, H. (2024). Investigating the determinants of turnover intention among the big 4 public accounting firms in Indonesia. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 7(4), 1423–1434. https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v7i4.3441
Haq, I. U., Maneengam, A., Chupradit, S., & Huo, C. (2022). Modeling the turnover intentions of Thai health-care personnel in pandemic times: moderating role of Covid-19 burnout. Leadership in Health Services. https://doi.org/10.1108/lhs-11-2021-0090
Huang, S., Chen, Z., Liu, H., & Zhou, L. (2017). Job satisfaction and turnover intention in China. Chinese Management Studies, 11(4), 689–706. https://doi.org/10.1108/cms-12-2016-0263
Hur, H., & Abner, G. (2023). What Makes Public Employees Want to Leave Their Job? A
Meta‐Analysis of Turnover Intention Predictors Among Public Sector Employees. Public Administration Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.13601
Ibrahim AlKandari, Alsaeed, F., Anwaar Al-Kandari, Alsaber, A., Ullah, K., Hamza, K., & Alqatan, A. (2023). Determinants of employees’ turnover intention. Journal of Governance and Regulation, 12(4), 29–37. https://doi.org/10.22495/jgrv12i4art3
Jackson, S., & Jackson, L. T. (2019). Self-esteem: Its mediating effects on the relationship between discrimination at work and employee organisation commitment and turn-over intention. Journal of Psychology in Africa, 29(1), 13–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2019.1568065
Jamaliah, M. M., Alazaizeh, M. M., Alzghoul, Y. A., Nidal Alzboun, & Al-Faouri, E. H. (2024). Exploring recreational hunters’ perspectives on shifting from hunting to working in tourism: Insights from the Push–Pull-Mooring Model. Tourism Recreation Research, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2024.2435681
Kayed Al’Ararah, Dilber Çağlar, & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani. (2024). Mitigating Job Burnout in Jordanian Public Healthcare: The Interplay between Ethical Leadership, Organizational Climate, and Role Overload. Behavioral Sciences, 14(6), 490–490. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14060490
Kim, S., & Min Park, S. (2014). Determinants of job satisfaction and turnover intentions of public employees: evidence from US federal agencies. International Review of Public Administration, 19(1), 63–90. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2014.887354
Kim, S., Tam, L., Kim, J.-N., & Rhee, Y. (2017). Determinants of employee turnover intention. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 22(3), 308–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/ccij-11-2016-0074
Kokubun, K., Ino, Y., & Ishimura, K. (2022). Social and psychological resources moderate the relation between anxiety, fatigue, compliance and turnover intention during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Workplace Health Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijwhm-07-2021-0142
Le, H., Lee, J., Nielsen, I., & Nguyen, T. L. A. (2022). Turnover intentions: the roles of job satisfaction and family support. Personnel Review, 52(9). https://doi.org/10.1108/pr-08-2021-0582
Lee, H.-J., Chua, C. H., Miska, C., & Stahl, G. K. (2017). Looking out or looking up: gender differences in expatriate turnover intentions. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 24(2), 288–309. https://doi.org/10.1108/ccsm-02-2016-0046
Lee, K., Joshi, K., & Bae, M. (2010). An Investigation of the Influence of the IS Context on the Determinants of Turnover Intentions in Korea. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, 20(1), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/10919390903482358
Lee, T., Chen, S., Wang, S., & Dadura, A. (2010). The relationship between spiritual management and determinants of turnover intention. European Business Review, 22(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555341011009034
Lin, Y., Hu, Z., Danaee, M., Alias, H., & Wong, L. P. (2021). The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Future Nursing Career Turnover Intention Among Nursing Students. Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 14, 3605–3615. https://doi.org/10.2147/RMHP.S322764
Liyanage, D., & Galhena, B. (2014). Determinants of Turnover Intention of Sewing Machine Operators: Case from leading Apparel Company. Kelaniya Journal of Management, 1(2), 107. https://doi.org/10.4038/kjm.v1i2.6535
Maden, C. (2014). Impact of fit, involvement, and tenure on job satisfaction and turnover intention. The Service Industries Journal, 34(14), 1113–1133. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2014.939644
Mardanov, I. (2020). Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation, Organizational context, Employee contentment, Job satisfaction, Performance and Intention to Stay. Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 9(3). https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-02-2020-0018
Mumtaz, R., & Hasan, S. S. (2018). Determinants of Employee Turnover A Survey of Employee Intentions Trend in Urban Societies of the Region. Business and Economics Journal, 09(02). https://doi.org/10.4172/2151-6219.1000356
Nandialath, A. M., David, E., Das, D., & Mohan, R. (2018). Modeling the determinants of turnover intentions: a Bayesian approach. Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 6(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-10-2016-0025
Nowak, R. (2020). Structural empowerment and serving culture as determinants of organizational identification and turnover intention. Management Research Review, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-02-2020-0064
Nurmukhamed, D., Chegenbayeva, A., Nurumov, K., & Hernández-Torrano, D. (2025). Stress stemming from educational reforms as a key determinant of teacher’s turnover intentions: evidence from TALIS 2018. Quality & Quantity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-025-02083-0
Oh, S., & Kim, H. (2019). Turnover Intention and Its Related Factors of Employed Doctors in Korea. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14), 2509. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142509
Okubanjo, A. O. (2014). Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction as Determinant of Primary School Teachers Turnover Intention. Higher Education of Social Science, 7(1), 173–179. https://doi.org/10.3968/5304
Pattnaik, S. C., & Panda, N. (2020). Supervisor support, work engagement and turnover intentions: evidence from Indian call centres. Journal of Asia Business Studies, ahead-of-print(ahead-of-print). https://doi.org/10.1108/jabs-08-2019-0261
Puhakka, I. J. A., Nokelainen, P., & Pylväs, L. (2021). Learning or Leaving? Individual and Environmental Factors Related to Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention. Vocations and Learning, 14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12186-021-09275-3
Rai, A., Ghosh, P., & Dutta, T. (2019). Total rewards to enhance employees’ intention to stay: does perception of justice play any role? Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 7(3), 262–280. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-07-2018-0045
Ramalho Luz, C. M. D., Luiz de Paula, S., & de Oliveira, L. M. B. (2018). Organizational commitment, job satisfaction and their possible influences on intent to turnover. Revista de Gestão, 25(1), 84–101. https://doi.org/10.1108/rege-12-2017-008
Reem Ahli, Mohd Faiz Hilmi, & Anas Abudaqa. (2024). Moderating Effect of Perceived Organizational Support on the Relationship Between Employee Performance and Its Determinants: A Case of Entrepreneurial Firms in UAE. Aptisi Transactions on Technopreneurship (ATT), 6(2), 199–212. https://doi.org/10.34306/att.v6i2.425
Reitz, O. Ed., & Anderson, M. A. (2011). An Overview of Job Embeddedness. Journal of Professional Nursing, 27(5), 320–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2011.04.004
Roy, & Aimi Anuar. (2024). The determinants of turnover intention among employees in banking industry. Environment and Social Psychology, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.59429/esp.v9i9.2975
Rubenstein, A. L., Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., Wang, M., & Thundiyil, T. G. (2018). “Embedded” at hire? Predicting the voluntary and involuntary turnover of new employees. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(3), 342–359. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2335
Tajneen Affnaan Saleh, Sarwar, A., Khan, N., Tabash, M. I., & Mohammad Imtiaz Hossain. (2023). Does emotional exhaustion influence turnover intention among early-career employees? A moderated-mediation study on Malaysian SMEs. Cogent Business & Management, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2242158
Takase, M., Teraoka, S., & Yabase, K. (2016). Retaining the nursing workforce: factors contributing to the reduction of nurses’ turnover intention in Japan. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(1), 21–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12266
Taye, D., & Getnet, B. (2020). The Impact of Employee Turnover on Organizational Performance: a Case Study of Mada Walabu University, Bale Robe, Ethiopia. American Journal of Pure and Applied Biosciences, 2(3), 51–63. https://doi.org/10.34104/ajpab.020.051063
Tran, T.-T., Nguyen, T.-T., & Nguyen, N.-T. (2025). Determinants influencing job-hopping behavior and turnover intention: An investigation among Gen Z in the marketing field. Asia Pacific Management Review, 30(2), 100358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2025.100358
Uğural, M. N., Giritli, H., & Urbański, M. (2020). Determinants of the Turnover Intention of Construction Professionals: A Mediation Analysis. Sustainability, 12(3), 954. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12030954
Uswatun Hasanah, & Fatmah Bagis. (2024). Causes of High Turnover Intention: Due to Work Family Conflict and Work Environment Factors. RGSA, 18(1), e06429–e06429. https://doi.org/10.24857/rgsa.v18n1-116
Van Heerden, J., Du Plessis, M., & Becker, J. R. (2022). Walking the Tightrope of Job Demands and Resources: Leveraging Work Engagement to Counter Turnover Intentions of Information Technology Professionals. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.660308
Yan, E., Wan, D., To, L., Ng, H. K. L., Lai, D. W. L., Cheng, S.-T., Kwok, T., Leung, E. M. F., Lou, V. W. Q., Fong, D., Chaudhury, H., Pillemer, K., & Lachs, M. (2023). Staff Turnover Intention at Long-Term Care Facilities: Implications of Resident Aggression, Burnout, and Fatigue. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 25(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2023.10.008
Yücel, İ. (2021). Transformational Leadership and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Employee Performance during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Administrative Sciences, 11(3), 81. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci11030081
Zhou, S., Li, X., & Gao, B. (2020). Family/friends support, work-family conflict, organizational commitment, and turnover intention in young preschool teachers in China: A serial mediation model. Children and Youth Services Review, 113, 104997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.104997
Zhu, L., Yang, H., Gao, Y., & Wang, Q. (2024). Protean career orientation to turnover intentions: moderating roles of current organizational career growth and future organizational career growth prospect. Career Development International, 29(2), 234–250. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-07-2023-0249
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
