Understanding Employee Turnover Intention Among Hospitality Employees: The Role of Personality Traits, Meaningful Work, Transformational Leadership, and Psychological Work Withdrawal

Abstract

Purpose: Employee turnover intention remains a persistent challenge in the hospitality industry due to its adverse effects on organizational performance, service quality, and sustainability. Previous studies have largely examined personality traits, transformational leadership, meaningful work, and psychological work withdrawal independently. This study develops an integrated framework to examine the direct effects of these factors on employee turnover intention within the hospitality sector.

Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among hospitality employees in India. Data were collected from 535 respondents and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) through WarpPLS.

Findings- The results indicate that personality traits, transformational leadership, meaningful work, and psychological work withdrawal significantly influence employee turnover intention. Personality traits emerged as the strongest predictor, followed by psychological work withdrawal, meaningful work, and transformational leadership. The model explained a substantial proportion of variance in turnover intention, demonstrating strong predictive capability.

Originality/value-This study contributes to hospitality turnover literature by integrating dispositional, leadership, motivational, and behavioral factors into a single framework. Unlike prior studies that investigated these variables independently, the present study provides a comprehensive understanding of their simultaneous influence on turnover intention. The findings offer practical implications for recruitment, leadership development, employee engagement, and retention strategies in hospitality organizations.