Getting nowhere, going elsewhere: the impact of perceived career compromises on turnover intentions

Purpose The purpose of this article is to investigate the unexplored relationship between employees' perceptions that they have made compromises in their careers (i.e. perceived career compromise) and their turnover intentions, as well as how it might be moderated by two personal factors (materialism and idealism) and two contextual factors (abusive supervision and decision autonomy). Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected among employees who work in the education sector in Canada. Findings Employees' frustrations about unwanted career adjustments lead to an enhanced desire to leave their organization. This process is more likely among employees who are materialistic and suffer from verbally abusive leaders, but it is less likely among those who are idealistic and have more decision autonomy. Practical implications For human resource managers, these results provide novel insights into the individual and contextual circumstances in which frustrations about having to compromise career goals may escalate into the risk that valuable employees quit. Originality/value This study contributes to human resource management research by detailing the conditional effects of a hitherto overlooked determinant of employees' turnover intentions, namely, their beliefs about a discrepancy between their current career situation and their personal aspirations.