A time-lagged design on the social capital, intention to stay and turnover: the moderating effects of training and reward

Purpose The purpose of this study was to adopt a time-lagged design to examine social capital as an effective predictor of actual turnover behaviors among employees and to explore the mediating role of intention to stay and the moderating roles of training and rewards. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in two stages from the employees of a regional hospital located in Taiwan. In the first stage, 1,523 valid responses were collected from an online questionnaire. In the second stage, an employee turnover survey was conducted with the same respondents 1 year after the first survey. Findings The results demonstrated the effect of social capital on intention to stay. Specifically, intention to stay was significantly positively correlated with social capital but significantly negatively correlated with turnover. In addition, intention to stay mediated the relationship between social capital and turnover. Both training and rewards significantly moderated the relationship between social capital and intention to stay. Originality/value To strengthen employees' intention to stay and reduce their turnover, hospitals should provide reasonable employee rewards, reinforce employee training and formulate appropriate employee retention plans.