Person-environment fit, turnover intention and satisfaction with life. The role of seniority.

Abstract

Background: Based on the person-environment fit model, we examined how occupational stress and job satisfaction are correlated with an intention to leave the current workplace or profession and life satisfaction in two groups of midwives with low and high experience.

Participants and procedure: Data were collected between March and December 2022 using a set of psychological questionnaires. Low-experienced midwives (n = 152) and high-experienced midwives (n = 174) participated in the study. Multigroup path analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results: Research has shown that midwives of varying levels of seniority experience similar levels of general occupational stress, job satisfaction, intentions to leave their current workplace or profession, and life satisfaction. The study found a negative correlation between occupational stress and job satisfaction and life satisfaction in both groups. The correlation between job satisfaction and the intention to leave the current workplace or profession was significantly negative only among low-experienced midwives. In high-experienced midwives, the relationship between stress and the intention to leave the current workplace or profession was direct. In the group of low-experienced midwives, links between occupational stress and all outcome variables were completely mediated by job satisfaction.

Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that degree of person-environment fit accurately predicts the positive and negative consequences of working conditions for behavior both at work and outside of work. The correlations between stress at work, thoughts of leaving work, and the assessment of well-being differ between low- and high-experienced employees.