Does Work Arrangement Affect Turnover Intention? Investigating the Mediating Role of Organizational Trust, Perceived Organizational Support, and Work Locus of Control

Countless U.S. employees were shifted to and from different work arrangements both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Though previous research has shown links between workplace factors and organizational outcomes, there is a gap in understanding how different post-pandemic work arrangements and individual differences influence employee work attitudes. This study assessed 315 U.S. employees to investigate the relationship between different work arrangements (WA) and turnover intentions (TI), and the mediating effect of organizational trust (OT), perceived organizational support (POS), and work locus of control (WLC). Eligible participants included full-time U.S. employees over the age of 18 that worked in their current position for at least six months. An anonymous online quantitative survey was used for data collection. Measurement instruments included Hon and Grunig’s (1999) Trust scale, Spector’s (1988) Work Locus of Control Scale, Eisenberger et al.’s (1986) Survey of Perceived Organizational Support, and Roodt’s (2004) Turnover Intention Scale. This study used descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and covariance based structural equation modeling with bootstrapping analysis to evaluate a conceptual model. Results showed that hybrid and fully remote workers have more favorable work attitudes toward their organizations than employees that work fully in-office or onsite and are therefore less inclined to demonstrate TI. Limitations of the study, practical applications for organizations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.