WHEN ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT CREATES SATISFACTION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF JOB SATISFACTION IN STRENGTHENING THE EFFECT OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT ON YOUNG EMPLOYEES’ INTENTION TO STAY

Abstract

This article investigates the role of perceived organizational support (POS) in shaping young employees’ intention to remain with their current organization, with job satisfaction positioned as an intervening psychological variable. The empirical setting is early-career workers in Bandung City, defined as employees aged 30 years or younger with a maximum tenure of two years. The study uses a quantitative explanatory design with a one-shot survey, gathering data through an online questionnaire distributed using purposive sampling. The responses are analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4. The analysis reveals that POS significantly enhances job satisfaction, and that job satisfaction, in turn, significantly increases intention to stay. POS also has a significant direct effect on intention to stay, while the indirect path via job satisfaction is significant, confirming partial mediation. These results indicate that support from the organization will more effectively foster retention intentions when it is internalized by young employees as real satisfaction with their job, work climate, and how they are treated. The study contributes by detailing how POS translates into early-career retention intentions in an Indonesian urban context and by offering practical direction for HR strategies aimed at reducing early voluntary exits.