Power spectral and bispectral study of factors affecting employee turnover

Abstract Voluntary employee turnover can cause organizations to lose profits and competitiveness. Unexpected employee turnover may also result in project delay and reduction in project quality. It is important to control employee turnover rate and maintain good employees within an organization. This paper investigates the major causes of voluntary employee turnover in engineering industries. Australia, Mainland China, and Taiwan were selected for the investigation. Questionnaires were administered, and structured interviews were conducted. Power spectrum was used for the analysis. It was found that “Good physical working environment”, “Receiving advanced training”, and “Short travel distance between home and work” are the major job-related ideal factors for the Australian, Mainland China, and Taiwan respondents, respectively. However, “Far distance between work and home” and “Dislike the colleague relationships” are found as the major factors for leaving jobs for the Australian/Taiwan and Mainland China respondents, respectively. Recommendations to improve and to control employee turnover rate are also discussed.