Experience and Job Involvement: Moderators of Job Satisfaction, Job Dissatisfaction and Intent to Stay

Abstract

Job dissatisfaction and high turnover of insurance agents have been ongoing management challenges in the U.S. insurance industry. Managers have tended to address turnover and retention by developing strategies designed for employees with intentions of leaving instead of focusing on employees who intend to stay. Based on Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, this study was used to examine job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction as separate constructs conceptualized by Friedlander. In the insurance industry, managers have focused primarily on the financial aspects of customer satisfaction and long-term relationships at the expense of nonfinancial matters which can also greatly influence insurance agent-customer satisfaction relationships. The problem is a managerial lack of understanding regarding the nature of the relationship between job satisfaction, job dissatisfaction, and intent to stay and the effects of industry work experience and job involvement which may moderate these relationships. Researchers have reported weak results between job satisfaction and turnover intention relationships and as a result, moderators have been suggested to help improve and explain these relationships. In studies of the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention, the moderating role of job involvement and industry work experience have not been considered. One hundred and ten property and casualty insurance agents located within Broward County, Florida participated in the survey. In this nonexperimental survey-based quantitative research, data was analyzed using correlation and moderated regression analyses. Results of the study indicated a positive relationship between job satisfaction and intent to stay, r(102) = .20, p =.04 and a negative relationship between job dissatisfaction and intent to stay, r (102) = -.22, p =.03. Mean scores were indicators of the job factors involved in the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction experience. Industry work experience and job involvement did not moderate the job satisfaction-intent to stay and job dissatisfaction-intent to stay relationships. The results will add to the literature on the job satisfaction-intent to stay and job dissatisfaction-intent stay relationships as well as the role of moderators such as industry work experience and job involvement on these aforementioned relationships. Recommendations for future research include larger sample size and conducting the study within different geographic locations and sales industries.