Balancing Work and Life to Retain Talent: The Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction in the Relationship between Work-Life Balance and Turnover Intention

Abstract

Staff turnover is one of the most persistent and costly problems facing HR managers, especially in the fast-paced, competitive service industry. High turnover rates lead to high hiring and training expenses, impact organizational performance, lower service quality, and affect customer satisfaction. Given these challenges, the influence on an employee's intention to stay or leave an organization has become a critical area of study. The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating role of job satisfaction between work-life balance and employees' turnover intention. Based on the theoretical framework of the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model and social exchange theory, work-life balance is viewed as an essential job resource for the successful management of work and personal responsibilities. Providing supportive work-life balance practices fosters positive work attitudes, including increased job satisfaction among employees. This will lead to higher satisfaction, reducing the chance they will look for a job elsewhere. A quantitative cross-sectional research design was used to explore these relationships, and data were gathered from 330 employees in the service sector by means of a structured questionnaire based on existing and validated measurement scales. The hypotheses were tested using regression-based mediation analysis with bootstrapping procedures in PROCESS Model 4. The results show that work-life balance has a direct and indirect effect on turnover intention through job satisfaction, suggesting partial mediation.