The Mediating Role of Meaningfulness of Work in the Relationship between Fear of Experiencing Workplace Violence and Turnover Intention: A Study on Healthcare Workers

Abstract

Purpose – Violence in the workplace is a source of concern and fear for employees in today's working life. Since workplace violence is a common issue, it is important to understand its negative effects on the attitude and perception of the employee. The purpose of this study is to determine the mediating role of the meaningfulness of work in the relationship between the fear of experiencing workplace violence among healthcare workers and the turnover intention. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a quantitative research method and a cross-sectional research design. Research data were obtained from 421 healthcare workers using the simple random sampling technique, which is one of the probability sampling techniques, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and structural equation modeling. Findings – According to the research results, the fear of experiencing violence positively affects the meaningfulness of work, while the meaningfulness of work negatively impacts the turnover intention. In other words, it has been observed that the fear of experiencing violence affects the meaningfulness of work, and the meaningfulness of work also affects the turnover intention. Moreover, it has been observed that the fear of experiencing violence also positively influences the turnover intention. Discussion – Regardless of the source or target, workplace violence causes anxiety and fear among employees. The fear of experiencing violence in the workplace may influence employees', turnover intention. This situation can decrease not only employees' productivity but also the performance of the organization. Organization managers should develop preventive measures against workplace violence to create a healthy working environment.