Time to leave? The interaction of temporal focus and turnover intentions in explaining voluntary turnover behaviour

Although turnover intentions are the strongest predictors of voluntary turnover behaviours, many employees who express intentions to leave do not. To explain why some employees translate turnover intentions into behaviour and others do not, this study examines the moderating effect of temporal focus (i.e. the degree to which one thinks about the past, present and future) between turnover intentions and voluntary turnover, using the lens of theory of planned behaviour. Data were collected from 683 full-time employees in a range of organisations at three points in time. Results show that past temporal focus conditions the positive relationship between turnover intention and turnover, such that the relationship is stronger when past temporal focus is high. Future temporal focus has an opposite moderating effect, such that the relationship between turnover intention and turnover is weaker when future temporal focus is high. Results show no significant moderating effect of current temporal focus. Overall, temporal focus helps explain why some employees leave and others stay by conditioning the likelihood of translating turnover intentions into quitting. We speculate that a dominant, unspoken paradigm in turnover research is an assumption that individuals are current focused, yet our results suggest scholars should explicitly examine this assumption.     

Omission bias and perceived intention in children and adults

Omission bias refers to the tendency to judge acts of commission as morally worse than equivalent acts of omission. Children aged 7–8 and 11–12 years, as well as adults, made moral judgements about acts of commission and omission in two conditions in which the protagonist obtained a self‐directed benefit. In the antisocial condition, the other person was harmed; in the selfish condition, the other person was not harmed. The results showed that adults and both age groups of children judged that the agent who did something (act of commission) was morally worse than the agent who did nothing (omission) for both antisocial and selfish conditions, although this judgement tendency was clearer in the selfish condition than in the antisocial condition. Agent intention was held constant across commission and omission, but most participants rated the intention of the agent who did something as stronger than that of the agent who did nothing. These results suggest that omission bias occurs regardless of differences in age and situation. In addition, perceived intention appears to change in conjunction with omission bias.     

Perceived Coparenting Support and Later Relationship Status among Cohabiting Parents

Abstract

To help with the fragile nature of cohabiting parents' relationship, more understanding about their interpersonal experiences is needed to identify factors that matters for their relationship stability. We examined how cohabiting parents' perceived coparenting support from their partner was associated with their later relationship status (married/cohabiting/not together). Further, we examined the possible moderating effect of perceived coparenting support on the association between marriage plans and later relationship status. Results suggested that the associations between fathers' plans and couples' marriage entrance as well as continued cohabitation were dependent upon fathers' perceived coparenting support from mothers. Clinical and research implications are discussed.