Why do employees jump ship? Examining intent to quit employment in a non-western cultural context

Purpose – This study proposed to investigate the phenomenon of intention to quit among frontline employees. The main objectives of the current study were to examine the level of intention to leave and what factors influence the employees to consider leaving their organisations. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected from 493 frontline employees from Jordanian organisations. The study reported in this paper tested the factor structure of intention to quit using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Findings – The findings which emerged from this study established a three-factor solution model which is appropriate to test employees’ intention to quit based on three factors, namely work opportunities, personal needs, and personal responsibilities. The results provided new perspectives and support the overall validity of the nomological network of intention to quit factors, but also suggest that caution should be exercised in different contexts and cultural settings. Originality/value – The present study emphasises the need to expand the focus on intention to quit research beyond attitudinal and relational factors. Theoretical implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.