Viewing turnover from the perspective of those who remain: The relationship of job attitudes to attributions of the causes of turnover.

The study examined the attributions of employees in seven agencies of state and county government concerning the reasons for turnover among their fellow employees. Participants in the study were asked to indicate which of three possible reasons was the most important cause of turnover in their agency. Attributions about the causes of turnover were examined in relation to employee attitudes, behavioral intentions, and investments in the organization. The results suggest that employees with positive job attitudes were less likely to indicate that others left because of job dissatisfaction. This finding is consistent with both the ego-defensive and ego-centri biases in attribution processes, but not the fundamental attribution error. (Author)