Job-Leisure and Work-Family Conflict: Do they Really Matter in IT Professional Turnover?

Abstract

Motivation, job satisfaction, and employee turnover intentions are not new topics in the employment of Information Technology (IT) professionals. Several previous turnover intention studies highlighted already proven factors related to turnover intention such as motivation and job satisfaction. There is limited research on the role that job-leisure and work-family conflict play in relation to turnover intention. This study examines how turnover intention in IT professionals is affected by extrinsic and intrinsic motivation when specifically factoring for work-family conflict and job-leisure conflict. Data for this study was gathered from IT professionals across the United States with a total of 170 valid responses. Results of the analysis indicated a significant association with intrinsic motivation and job satisfaction. Our study did not support the hypothesis that extrinsic motivation positively affected job satisfaction. Most importantly, the moderating effects of work-family and job-leisure conflict between job satisfaction and turnover intention were supported. Findings from this study increase the understanding of motivational factors that affect IT professional's turnover intentions.