Can supervisors dwindle turnover in virtual teams?

Purpose

Virtual teams allow companies to recruit the best talents, regardless of their geographic location, which is particularly relevant in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector given the high shortage of qualified human capital. However, the space and time flexibility of these professionals also present other challenges to Human Resource Management, such as work engagement and employee retention. This study aims to assess the extent to which supervisor support can influence work engagement and turnover intention in virtual teams.

Design/methodology/approach

We use a sample of 420 ICT Portuguese professionals who work in virtual teams to test a conceptual model with partial least squares (PLS).

Findings

The study results show that supervisor support decreases employee's intention to leave their job. We also found that work engagement mediates the relationship between supervisor support and work engagement. Results show that older employees present higher levels of work engagement and employees with longer tenure perceive less supervisor support.

Originality/value

This study contributes to elucidate the role played by supervisors in influencing employee engagement and retention in virtual work environments.