Role of employee coping and performance in voluntary employee withdrawal: A research refinement and elaboration

The present study examined growth coping, work performance, work satisfaction and organizational tenure as predictors of voluntary organizational turnover for 93 human services supervisory personnel. This study represents a further theoretical development and empirical test of the role played by employee growth coping on whether an employee stays (No Turnover) or leaves (Turnover) their organization. Additionally, clarification of the relationship between work performance and withdrawal is provided. Future research directions are introduced. At the present time, despite the voluminous number of studies, our knowledge of why employees stay or leave their organization remains limited (Steel & Ovalle, 1984). The present study builds upon prior theory and research in providing the results of the first management study to simultaneously examine the role of both employee performance and a mode of coping, growth, on subsequent employee organizational turnover. The importance of considering the role played by employee work performance on turnover has been clearly demonstrated by McEvoy and Cascio (1987). However, the results of their meta-analysis indicate the need for greater clarity regarding the precise role of employee performance in the decision to withdraw. For example, they note the failure of much previous research to test for a curvilinear relationship, while controlling for “the difficulty of separating organizationally encouraged turnover from truly volitional turnover... ” (1987: 759). Additionally, several authors suggest that our understanding of turnover can be greatly enhanced through the examination of employee coping o