Effect of working environment factors on employee withdrawal intention: evidence from the apparel industry in Ethiopia

This paper evaluates the relationships between working environment factors and withdrawal intentions empirically. Using a questionnaire, 337 usable responses were collected from sewing operators in two industrial parks in Ethiopia. Purposive sampling was used to select the industrial parks and the companies, while convenience sampling was used to reach the operators. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to examine the effect of demographic factors on withdrawal intentions, and structural equation modelling was used to test hypotheses. Significant differences in withdrawal intentions were found with the age and marital status of the operators. While occupational health and safety practices and work-life imbalance affected absenteeism tendency significantly, satisfaction with salary, physical environment, workload, and discrimination affected turnover intention. Increased absenteeism tendency was also found to be a significant predictor of turnover intention. The findings provide evidence for managers to focus on the significant factors in monitoring the withdrawal behaviours of garment operators.