The relationship between job burnout and turnover intentions and the moderating role of perceived organisational support of academic staff members at the University of Limpopo

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between job burnout and turnover intention and to explore the moderating role of Perceived Organisational Support on the relationship between Job Burnout and Turnover Intention of academic staff members at the University of Limpopo. Employees working in the Institutions of Higher Learning are vulnerable to challenges such as an overwhelming working environment, lack of motivation and their effects on relationship factors, which culminate in job burnout and turnover intention. The study employed a quantitative research method. The target population comprised all academic staff members from different faculties of the University of Limpopo. Heterogeneous purposive sampling was adopted in this study. Data were collected through the distribution of a questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised items on the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory Survey (OLBI), Turnover Intention Questionnaire (TIQ) and Perceived Organisational Support Survey (POSS). The study achieved a response rate of 64%. The data was analysed using SPSS Version 29.0. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations), correlational analysis and reliability analyses and the moderation-regression analysis on the role of POS on job burnout and turnover intention. The findings of the study indicated that there is a positive relationship between job burnout and turnover intention, and further indicated that perceived organisational support moderates the relationship between job burnout and turnover intention. The study benefits Institutions of Higher Learning across South Africa by incorporating effective organisational support measures. The findings of the study provided a clear understanding of how to curb the issues of job burnout by providing necessary organisational support and retaining employees. The findings further contributed to the new knowledge by addressing these variables simultaneously at an Institution of Higher Learning in the Limpopo Province. This study included POS as the moderating variable, which assisted in developing a model that enriched the theoretical comprehension of the correlation between job burnout and turnover intention. The study recommends that institutions should support and care for their employees by providing the necessary resources to minimise the level of job burnout and turnover intention.