Any port in a storm: Emotional stability as a stabilizer for the job performance-voluntary turnover relationship

Although a great deal of research has examined supra-individual level moderators of the job performance-turnover relationship, research on individual-level moderators such as relevant employee personality traits is limited. In the current study, we examine how emotional stability moderates the job performance-voluntary turnover relationship at different levels of job performance by analyzing multi-wave time-lagged data collected over a five-year period. Results indicate that the relationship between job performance ratings and voluntary turnover at the lower end of job performance is less negative (flatter) among emotionally stable (vs. neurotic) employees. The job performance-turnover relationship at the higher end of job performance is almost flat (close to zero) among emotionally stable employees yet somewhat positive for neurotic employees. This study suggests that emotionally stable (vs. neurotic) employees, regardless of their job performance level, are more likely to stay, thus highlighting the important role of emotional stability in obtaining workforce stability. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results, along with study limitations and future research directions. •Emotionally stable employees, regardless of their job performance level, tend to stay.•The performance-turnover relationship is almost flat for emotionally stable employees.•Neurotic employees tend to leave if their performance level is either low or high.•The performance-turnover relationship is either negative or positive for neurotic employees.•Ceteris paribus, emotional stability contributes to workforce stability.