The Importance of a Strong Employability Culture The relationship between employability culture, employability orientation, career satisfaction and turnover intention

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly seeking direct, measurable and positive returns on investment when it comes to professional development programs, where increased employee output and performance should outweigh program investment. However, indirect positive effects from these development programs are often not taken into account. This study analyzes the effect of ‘employability culture’ (company investment in employee development) and ‘employability orientation’ (an employee’s motivation to develop himself) on career satisfaction and turnover intention. Anonymous web-based questionnaires were completed by 163 participants, measuring perceived employability culture, employability orientation, career satisfaction and turnover intention, as well as gender, age, education level, organizational tenure and organization size. A multiple regression analysis shows a significant positive relationship between employability culture and career satisfaction and a significant negative relationship between employability culture and turnover intention. An interaction analysis shows no significant moderation on these relationships by employability orientation. Furthermore, a Sobel test and bootstrapping analysis show that the relationship between employability culture and turnover intention was not significantly mediated by career satisfaction. The results correspond with conclusions in previous studies, confirming the importance of creating a strong employability culture within organizations.