Organizational career development and millennial employees’ intention to stay: role of employee empowerment, job satisfaction, job engagement and organizational engagement

Purpose This study seeks to examine the mediating role of job satisfaction, job engagement and organizational engagement in the relationship between organizational career development and employees’ intention to stay. It also investigates the moderating role of employee empowerment in the relationship between organizational career development and job satisfaction. The study examines the association among the variables using social exchange theory, job demands-resources theory, job embeddedness theory and Herzberg's two-factor theory of work motivation. Design/methodology/approach The data collected from employees of information technology companies operating in India using self-administered structured questionnaires were analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling. The sample for the study was drawn following the convenience sampling technique. Findings The results of the structural equation modelling analysis indicate a positive association between organizational career development and employee intention to stay, which is partially mediated by job satisfaction, job engagement and organizational engagement. The results also support the moderating role of employee empowerment in the relationship between organizational career development and job satisfaction. Originality/value The study has important implications for dealing with issues related to intention to stay of millennial employees, who are reported to have high turnover intentions. Contributions of the study stem from the fact that it has paid attention to non-monetary strategies for dealing with the issue as millennial employees are generally believed to have a rather high level of self-actualization needs in the workplace. By investigating the moderating effect of employee empowerment, the study also tries to identify the boundary conditions for the relationship between organizational career development and job satisfaction. The implications are outlined in the discussion section.