Well-being, affective commitment and job satisfaction: influences on turnover intentions in casual dining employees

This case study examines a large franchise of an American style casual dining chain. The purpose of this research was to determine whether new changes to the operational procedures of a restaurant company facilitated positive or negative workplace responses. Specifically, the way the changes influenced well-being, affective commitment, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions was examined. Employees and managers from the 42-unit franchise yielded 270 completed responses. A mixed methods approach, utilizing PROCESS modeling and content analysis, was employed to determine the results of the study. The PROCESS modeling showed that workplace well-being significantly influenced turnover intentions when mediated by positive affective commitment, negative affective commitment, and job satisfaction. The qualitative analysis of the open-ended questions demonstrated themes of environment and responsibilities, with subthemes of management, teamwork, staff, and pay vs. work, Tablet X, and menu changes. Implications for practice are noted indicating that organizations should implement strategies that will bring about more positive emotional connections with their employees, while simultaneously reducing the negative emotions that employees have about their work environment. Further academic and practical implications are discussed.