The present paper investigates which organizational factors determine job satisfaction and turnover of young adults in the Netherlands. Factors included are organizational quality, relations with the supervisor and the co-workers, and socialization tactics. These variables are expected to affect job clarity (absence of ambiguity, and absence of role conflict) and experienced fit between the current job and interests, previous work experiences and vocational training. These, in turn, should affect job satisfaction. Turnover, as measured retrospectively after one year, should be influenced by job satisfaction.
The sample consists of 234 young people of 19.7 years old, having worked in their first full-time job for about six months. Using LISREL-analysis, [the authors] investigate the effects of the organizational variables, fit and clarity on satisfaction. The results indicate that [the authors'] hypotheses are generally tenable. However, the effect between organizational quality and job clarity is negative, and not, as expected, positive. Furthermore, [the authors] present a discrete-time event history-analysis investigating the effects of all aforementioned variables on the actual turnover behavior. The results indicate that turnover of young adults can only to a very small degree be explained by organizational factors, job satisfaction, fit and job clarity.
Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.
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