Exploring the impact of employee well-being as a moderator in the relationship between work-related factors and turnover intentions in Malaysian small and medium enterprises: A partial least squares analysis

Employee turnover presents a persistent challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), particularly in emerging economies like Malaysia where lean operational structures and evolving workforce expectations converge. This study investigates the relationship between seven key work-related factors—job demands, job satisfaction, organizational culture, career development, workplace relationships, job security, and work-life balance—and turnover intention among SME employees. Crucially, the study introduces employee well-being as a moderating variable, examining whether it buffers or amplifies these relationships. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research integrates qualitative interviews with 60 SME stakeholders and quantitative analysis using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) on survey data from 240 SME employees. The findings reveal that job demands are the most influential predictor of turnover intention, while job satisfaction, workplace relationships, and job security also exert strong negative effects. Employee well-being significantly moderates the relationships between job demands and turnover intention, and between organizational culture and turnover intention, reinforcing its strategic role in buffering adverse workplace conditions. These insights advance the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) and Conservation of Resources (COR) theories by contextualizing their application within Malaysian SMEs. Practically, the results underscore the need for well-being-focused human resource strategies and supportive organizational cultures. By focusing on these findings, SME stakeholders can increase their understanding of workforce attrition, enhance organizational resilience, and strengthen their role in sustaining SME contributions to Malaysia's economic and social development.