Date of Award

May 2024

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Health Sciences

First Advisor

Jennifer T Fink

Committee Members

Janis T Eells, Jake Luo, Akke N Talsma

Keywords

Change Theory, Employee Commitment, Employee Turnover, Key performance indicators, Three component model, Workforce shortage

Abstract

This research is meant to help employers improve employee retention, especially in the nursing facility healthcare market in the United States. This quantitative correlational study investigates the relationship between employees' intent to stay or leave their jobs and the commitment they hold for their organization. It also explores the correlation between employee commitment and moderating factors in the workplace. The aim for this study is to improve understanding about how an employee’s intention to quit or stay in their job correlates with the strength and type of commitment they have to their job and organization. The research, guided by six questions, measured commitment using the Allen and Meyer Three Component Model of Commitment, encompassing Affective, Continuance, and Normative Commitment, and employee’s intention to quit or stay in their job measured using the Transtheoretical Model of Change. Data analysis is used to improve the understanding of the correlation between an employee’s commitment to their job and their intention to quit their job. Additional data analysis is used to reveal how employee commitment is influenced by the moderating factors, including the department the employee works in, hours worked per week, pay range, years of employment at the organization, and self-reported age. The goal is to help employers retain their employees by better understanding the correlational connection between moderating factors and an employee’s intention to quit their job. The study was conducted amidst a critical shortage of healthcare workers in the United States, targets the nursing facility healthcare sector due to its high turnover rates and increasing demand for services. With a sample size of 327 employees, the research employs regression analysis to assess the relationships between commitment type and an employee’s intention to quit their job and moderating factors correlated to commitment types. The survey instrument was a modified Myer & Allen Three Component Model Employee Commitment Survey, Transtheoretical Theory of Change questions, and questions gathering moderating factor data. Findings indicate significant correlations between commitment types and moderating factors. Notably, commitment types exhibit significant correlations with employee intention to stay or quit, departmental assignments, hours worked per week, pay range, years of employment, and self-reported age. The study underscores the dynamic nature of employee commitment, its susceptibility to change over time, and workplace factors that influence it. Overall, the research contributes to the existing literature by providing insights into the factors influencing employee commitment and intention to stay in their jobs. The findings have implications for organizational strategies aimed at enhancing employee retention and organizational commitment, particularly within the context of addressing workforce shortages in healthcare.

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