Employee satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover intention: The moderating role of position level

BACKGROUND: Employee satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover intention have always been hot issues in the study of sustainable human resource management. Understanding the relationship among the three is critical for both researchers and human resource practitioners. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to distinguish the effects of employee satisfaction on employee engagement and turnover intentions, and explore the mediating roles of employee engagement and the moderating effects of position level. METHODS: Structural equation modelling and questionnaire. RESULTS: Pay satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, satisfaction with work itself, and satisfaction with promotion have positive impacts on employee engagement significantly. Pay satisfaction, satisfaction with supervisor, satisfaction with promotion, satisfaction with co-workers have negative impacts on turnover intention. Employee engagement has a negative impact on turnover intention. Employee engagement partially mediates the relationships between satisfaction with supervisor and turnover intention as well as satisfaction with promotion and turnover intention. The moderating roles of position level between satisfaction with supervisor, satisfaction with co-workers and turnover intention have been supported by data. CONCLUSIONS: This paper validates the relationship among employee satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover intention, and the moderating role of position level systematically. Some suggestions are provided for practitioners in the area of human resource management.