The Impact of Job Stress, Role Ambiguity and Work-Life Imbalance on Turnover Intention during COVID-19: A Case Study of Frontline Health Workers in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to examine the impact of job stress, role ambiguity, work-life imbalance and burnout on employee turnover intention. Moreover, the mediating role of burnout between job stress, role ambiguity, work-life imbalance and turnover intention is also examined. The data collection for this quantitative research was conducted through the "Questionnaire" technique. The questionnaire was developed based on previously established questions available in the literature. The data were collected using simple random sampling from the healthcare workers of KSA. From the distributed questionnaire, 73.5% of the usable questionnaires were returned. This study used SPSS and PLS for the analysis of the data to highlight the most significant variables that impact the employees' turnover intentions among KSA health workers. The findings show that job burnout is clearly related to turnover intentions and is positively affected by both role stress and role ambiguity. Moreover, a statistically positive association is found between work-life imbalance and burnout among the healthcare workers in KSA. Furthermore, the mediating role of burnout is also confirmed in this study. The study also indicates that role ambiguity and role stress due to COVID-19 may create burnout among employees, which may lead to turnover intention among healthcare workers. There is a lack of research on the assessment of the impact of the novel COVID-19-related job stress, role ambiguity and work-life imbalance on the medical staff's turnover intentions in hospitals. This study fills the gap of the limited studies conducted regarding the identification of the factors that can create turnover intention among healthcare workers of KSA by providing empirical evidence from a Gulf country, Saudi Arabia. This study provides managerial implications for hospital management and health policymakers to develop a strategy to retain the employees. Furthermore, healthcare administrators need to pay close attention to front line workers' turnover intentions as these medical heroes are the vital part of our society who assist patients to receive their initial treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; KSA; burnout; turnover intention; work–life imbalance.

Figure 1

Measurement model used in the present study. Note: BO = Burnout, WLI = Work–life imbalance, TI = Turnover intention, RS = Role stress, RA = Role ambiguity.

Figure 2

Structural model of the present study. Note: BO = Burnout, WLI = Work–life imbalance, TI = Turn-over intention, RS = Role stress, RA = Role ambiguity.