Turnover, layoffs, & reductions in force Amy Banh, Ryan Ransom

Case #1 Coevolution of social networks and thoughts of quitting

Key Terms Friendship ties: social networks Advice ties: professional or mentorship connection Friendship ties: “People with whom you like to spend your free time, people you have been with most often for informal social activities, such as visiting each other’s homes, attending concerts or other public performances” Advice ties: “Do you usually go to this person for help or advice on work-related matters?”

Survey Sample size: 121 employees from eight healthcare organizations 11 people left during the sample and 3 people joined

Questions Ratings on a 5 point scale Measured 3 times Question #1: “I frequently think about quitting this job” Question #2: “I will probably look for a new job soon”

Significance If employees are thinking about leaving, they become less reliant on their networks Problem can be caught early on, if leadership observes employee behavior

Takeaway Study findings do not support investing in social network expansion because it is not likely to reduce turnover.

Case #2 Internal and external networking differentially predict turnover through job embeddedness and job offers

Key Terms Networking Behaviors Job Embeddedness

Major Research Issue When and why employees’ networking behaviors relate to voluntary turnover

Survey How was it conducted? How many people were involved? 1st survey 371 2nd survey 266 Conducted through two online surveys taken 2 years apart. First survey required individuals to be working in applied settings for at least 2 years prior. The second survey contacted those individuals 2 years later and assessed whether they had voluntarily left. The first sample survey received 371 applicable responses. The second follow up survey received 266 responses.

Survey pt. 2 Dependent Variable: Voluntary Turnover Independent Variables Mediators

Results

Takeaway Promoting and monitoring an internal employee network can be a low cost solution to reduce voluntary turnover. Ex: Company facebook page, sponsored social events, and mentoring programs

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