Corporate social responsibility, perceived organisational support, organisational commitment, and voluntary turnover intention

Abstract

Organisations are increasingly moving towards the integration of “social, environmental and economic considerations into their business practices and structures” (Asemah Okpanachi, & Edegoh, 2013, p.45). This is due to the fact that organisations have been put under immense pressure by various stakeholders to assume ethical identities and improve the quality of life of both employees and the broader community through incorporating some form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities within their organisations (Peterson, 2004). Equally important is the retention of high quality and experienced employees in organisations, as this not only saves production time and costs but also saves the organisation costs associated with the hiring and training of replacement staff ((Bothma & Roodt, 2013). It is well established in the literature that employees infer judgments about certain activities that their organisations partake in and these judgments consequently influence employee behavior (Rupp, Ganapathi, Aguilera, & Williams, 2006). Considering the importance of both CSR and the prevention of voluntary turnover intentions, it seemed essential to explore how these constructs relate in the organisational context.

As such, this study aimed to explore the nature of the relationships between the three dimensions of CSR (philanthropic, environmental, and internal) and voluntary turnover intentions in a sample of South African employees. Moreover it has been suggested that other mechanisms might have an influence on this relationship (Dawley, Houghton, & Bucklew, 2010). Subsequently, this study also sought to explore whether perceived organisational support and organisational commitment mediated the relationships between the different forms of corporate social responsibility and voluntary turnover intentions.

A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional, correlational research design was used in the present study. The total sample consisted of 106 employees from various South African organisations and positions. Participants who volunteered and consented to be part of the study were asked to complete a self-constructed demographic questionnaire, Pitt and Siemer’s (2012) External and Internal Corporate Social Responsibility Scales, Eisenberger et al.’s (1986) Perceived Organisational Support Scale, Mowday and Steers’ (1979) Organisational Commitment Questionnaire, and Kantor’s (2013) Voluntary Turnover Intention Scale.