A contextual study of employee turnover intention in Vietnam F&B service sector: an integrative perspective

Abstract

PurposePrevious studies on employee turnover did not explore the contextual differences of emerging markets such as Vietnam. As Vietnam is a fast-growing new tiger economy with a high inflow of foreign direct investment, contextual analysis needs to be conducted to handle rising HR issues in the region. The current study aims to analyze paths to employee turnover intention through an integrated model covering factors on individual, team, and organizational levels to understand the contextual difference in the Vietnam F&B service industry.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method was used based on quantitative and qualitative data from three organizations. For the quantitative analysis, a path model was developed and analyzed by SEM-PLS (Smart PLS) based on a sample size of 354. For the qualitative analysis, 32 semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the contextual understanding in the regional context.FindingsAlthough the current study confirms that the paths among the three levels show the turnover factors developed in the previous study still applicable to the Vietnam context, the strengths and relationships among the team and individual levels imply that the Vietnamese context created a unique HRM environment forming different paths to reach employee turnover decisions.Originality/valueThe findings contributed to the literature on employee turnover by developing an integrated model of employee turnover encompassing the three levels, suggesting the different local contexts formed unique paths to employee turnover decisions.