The relationship between factors in the work environment and turnover propensities among engineering and technical support personnel

Engineering, scientific, and technical support personnel from the electronics division of a large US firm were sampled in this study of influences on turnover decisions. While the literature, which is briefly reviewed, suggests a multiplicity of causal influences, this investigation focuses on specific factors in the work unit which are influenced by the effectiveness of the technical manager. The results indicate that approximately 30% of the variance in turnover propensities is explained by factors in the immediate work environment. Satisfaction with supervision, altruism on the part of the manager, and unit morale were found to be the more important influences on intentions to stay for technical support personnel. However, for the engineers factors such as autonomy and goal congruence (with one´s superior) were found to have greater influence. Thus, factors influencing retention are found to be somewhat different for engineers than for technical support personnel. The findings suggest areas of content for management training in order to enhance retention.