The Relationship Between Satisfaction and Turnover Intentions for Knowledge Workers

Expanding on existing turnover models, this research examines the relationship between satisfaction with work and satisfaction with supervisor on turnover intentions, exploring the moderating impact of both positive organizational support (POS) and perceptions of external employment opportunities on this relationship for knowledge workers (engineers). Based on a sample of 481 engineers in France, the research identifies a significant and negative correlation between satisfaction with work and turnover intentions, as well as satisfaction with supervisor and turnover intentions. Both moderators affect only the relationship between satisfaction with supervisor and turnover intentions. This suggests that for knowledge workers, job satisfaction is a multifaceted variable that should be disaggregated in turnover models. The results also indicate that engineering managers should focus on managing perceptions of external opportunities and attempting to maximize POS in order to strengthen the impact of their efforts on retention activities. In the context of the knowledge workers selected for this study, it is clear that job satisfaction is an important variable in knowledge workers' decisions to stay with or leave a firm.