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Job embeddedness: a theoretical foundation for developing a comprehensive nurse retention plan
Brooks C Holtom1, Bonnie S O'Neill
1McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University, G-04 Old North, Washington, DC 20057, USA. bch6@msb.edu
The Journal of Nursing Administration
|May 29, 2004
Summary
Job embeddedness effectively predicts employee retention in healthcare settings, offering valuable insights beyond traditional job satisfaction and commitment measures. Retention strategies for nurses and other healthcare workers appear to be similar.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Organizational Behavior
- Human Resources
Background:
- Healthcare workforce shortages necessitate effective recruitment and retention strategies.
- High nursing turnover rates (over 20% annually) and intense competition for nurses raise questions about specialized retention plans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive value of job embeddedness for employee retention in healthcare.
- To determine if factors influencing nurse retention differ from those affecting other healthcare workers.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study design was used to assess the predictive validity of job embeddedness.
- Surveys assessing job embeddedness, satisfaction, commitment, and intent to leave were mailed to 500 hospital employees.
- Organizational data on voluntary leavers were collected one year later.
Main Results:
- Job embeddedness significantly predicted employee turnover, independent of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, perceived alternatives, and job search.
- Job embeddedness explained unique variance in turnover not captured by major existing turnover models.
Conclusions:
- Job embeddedness is a valuable construct for understanding and improving employee retention in healthcare organizations.
- The factors influencing retention are largely consistent between nurses and other healthcare professionals.