Personnel turnover in health care organizations: Test of a predictive model based on work assessments by employees

It is predicted that institutions in Dutch intramural health care will be increasingly confronted with problems in personnel supply. Instead of making great efforts to keep the inflow of new personnel on the desired level, control of turnover is an alternative solution. In this paper, an explanatory model is constructed, based on previous theories and research findings. It is hypothesized that the more employees have positive attitudes concerning their work and work situation, the greater their satisfaction and commitment and hence the less their intention to leave and the lower actual turnover. This model was tested using a large scale employee questionnaire. The instrument turned out to be reliable (internal consistencies above .70). The questionnaire was administered in eight institutions in four health care sectors (n = 1456). Results indicate that attitudes about work content and personnel management are relevant in predicting intention to leave. All in all, 8 work-related aspects predicted 21% of intention to leave. Aspects with the most predictive value were career guidance, work safety, responsibilities and job discretion. Furthermore, general satisfaction was shown to play an intermediary role in predicting intention to leave. It is concluded that improvements in work content and personnel management can reduce intention to leave and hence the demand for new personnel.