Impact of job stress and work-life balance on turnover intention among Indian healthcare workers

The Healthcare sector is widely regarded as a high-stress-inducing environment, with considerable studies examining job stress and work-life balance in the healthcare sector since the COVID-19 pandemic. While these factors are well-documented, there is a growing need to shift the focus towards rising turnover rates within the industry post-pandemic. With this background, the study aims to examine the impact of job stress and work-life balance on turnover intentions among doctors by delving deeper into the dimensions of these variables and probing the effect of demographics on these variables. The proposed research employed a quantitative design to gather data from 127 healthcare doctors using purposive sampling. The data for this study were collected through an online Google form designed with three validated scales, which comprised doctors from diverse specializations and years of experience. The findings revealed that time stress significantly impacts work interference with personal life (WIPL) and personal life interference with work (PLIW). Personal life interference with work (PLIW) emerged as the strongest determinant of turnover intentions. Further, a greater psychological strain was encountered among female doctors than their male counterparts, implying that gender also had a potential influence on the outcome of the study. As a result, the study offers recommendations that can guide the retention strategies in healthcare organizations and promote a healthier and sustainable workforce .