Addressing turnover intentions among medical radiation practitioners: the influence of wellbeing-focused HRM and individual resilience

Purpose This study examines the influence of wellbeing human resource management (WBHRM) practices on the turnover intentions of medical radiation practitioners in response to growing emotional labour demands. Specifically, we examine the sequential processes through which medical radiation practitioners protect, preserve and mobilise resources such as WBHRM, leadership support and individual resilience in response to emotional labour demands. We provide new and important insights into an under-studied and often ignored cohort of allied healthcare professionals. Design/methodology/approach This study uses online survey responses from 165 registered medical radiation science professionals working in medical imaging and radiation therapy departments across Australia. Underpinned by conservation of resources theory, we undertook a serial mediation analysis and a moderated mediation analysis to test our four hypotheses. Findings Our findings demonstrated that burnout served as a critical mediator linking WBHRM to turnover intentions. We found that serial mediation through surface acting and burnout provided evidence for a sequential resource depletion process. WBHRM practices are associated with lower surface acting demands, which in turn is associated with lower levels of burnout. Moreover, employee resilience moderated the effectiveness of WBHRM in reducing burnout. Individuals higher in resilience derive greater burnout-reducing benefits from WBHRM practices, resulting in stronger indirect effects on turnover intentions. Finally, our results revealed a conditional pattern of resource synergy involving resilience and leadership support such that resilience amplified the effectiveness of WBHRM practices only in contexts characterised by strong leadership support. Originality/value This study advances resource-based theorising by reframing resilience and leadership support, not as independent, additive predictors of adaptive functioning, but as mutually activating resources whose effects are fundamentally multiplicative. Our findings offer important actionable implications for healthcare organisations seeking to reduce turnover.