Turnover intention questionnaire: support and satisfaction

Turnover intention is a popular topic in human resource management. This template links organizational support to job satisfaction and turnover intention, using the scale of Eisenberger et al. (1986) and the MOAQ of Cammann et al. (1979).

Research model

Suggested model, based on social exchange theory and the review by Rhoades and Eisenberger (2002): organizational support increases job satisfaction, while organizational support and job satisfaction reduce turnover intention.

• Perceived Organizational Support → Overall Job Satisfaction (positive)
• Overall Job Satisfaction → Intention to Turnover (negative)
• Perceived Organizational Support → Intention to Turnover (negative)

Questionnaire items

Original English wording. Answered on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree … 5 = Strongly agree) unless the scale page says otherwise; (R) marks a reverse-coded item.

Perceived Organizational Support (POS) · Perceived organizational support

Code	Item
POS1	The organization values my contribution to its well-being.
POS2 (R)	If the organization could hire someone to replace me at a lower salary it would do so.
POS3 (R)	The organization fails to appreciate any extra effort from me.
POS4	The organization strongly considers my goals and values.
POS5 (R)	The organization would ignore any complaint from me.
POS6 (R)	The organization disregards my best interests when it makes decisions that affect me.
POS7	Help is available from the organization when I have a problem.
POS8	The organization really cares about my well-being.
POS9 (R)	Even if I did the best job possible, the organization would fail to notice.
POS10	The organization is willing to help me when I need a special favor.
POS11	The organization cares about my general satisfaction at work.
POS12 (R)	If given the opportunity, the organization would take advantage of me.
POS13 (R)	The organization shows very little concern for me.
POS14	The organization cares about my opinions.
POS15	The organization takes pride in my accomplishments at work.
POS16	The organization tries to make my job as interesting as possible.

Source: Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison & Sowa (1986). See Perceived organizational support.

Overall Job Satisfaction (JS) · Overall job satisfaction (MOAQ)

Code	Item
JS1	All in all, I am satisfied with my job.
JS2 (R)	In general, I don't like my job.
JS3	In general, I like working here.

Source: Cammann, Fichman, Jenkins & Klesh (1979). See Overall job satisfaction (MOAQ).

Intention to Turnover (TI) · Turnover intention (MOAQ)

Code	Item
TI1	How likely is it that you will actively look for a new job in the next year?
TI2	I often think about quitting.
TI3	I will probably look for a new job in the next year.

Source: Cammann, Fichman, Jenkins & Klesh (1979). See Turnover intention (MOAQ).

Tips

• The POS scale has 16 items, many reverse-keyed; remember to reverse the scores before running Cronbach's alpha.
• TI1 asks about likelihood (very unlikely ... very likely), while TI2 and TI3 ask about agreement; the Survey Kit keeps these two formats.
• Employees are often reluctant to answer honestly about turnover intention; stress anonymity in the introduction and do not collect names or emails.
• If you survey inside one company, ask the HR department for permission and state it in the research ethics section.

Work out the minimum sample size for this model; once the data are in, clean the responses and run the survey data analysis for your results chapter.

Studies that used this model

• Nguyen, Le, Trieu, Huynh and Tran (2022). Determinants of turnover intention: The case of public servants in Vietnam. Problems and Perspectives in Management, 20(2), 149–160. Sample: 300 civil servants; SEM (AMOS); includes POS, job satisfaction, commitment and turnover intention. Reliability: CR 0.788-0.865 (Table 2).
• Giao, Vuong, Huan, Tushar and Quan (2020). The Effect of Emotional Intelligence on Turnover Intention and the Moderating Role of Perceived Organizational Support: Evidence from the Banking Industry of Vietnam. Sustainability, 12(5), 1857. Sample: 722 bank employees; PLS-SEM; 7-item POS of Eisenberger et al. (1986). Reliability: α 0.807-0.921; CR 0.875-0.935 (Table 3).
• Nguyen, Nguyen, Nguyen and Le (2022). The role of organizational justice and job satisfaction in mitigating turnover intention of emotionally exhausted employees: evidence from Vietnam. Evidence-based HRM, 11(2), 215–232. Sample: 369 frontline service employees, two survey waves; PLS-SEM. Reliability: .

Collecting responses

If your own network cannot reach the target respondents, you can pay for verified responses through Genius Data (referral link, we may earn a commission), paying only for approved responses.