Effects of Career Mentoring Experience and Perceived Organizational Support on Employee Commitment and Intentions to Leave: A Study among Hotel Workers in Malaysia

This study examined the effects of received career mentoring (CM) and perceived organizational support (POS) on hotel workers' organizational commitment (OC) and intention to leave. It was found that, consistent with past research, CM and POS are highly interrelated and yet have different behavioural outcomes. CM directly predicts all of the three dimensions of self-reported OC. While CM has a medium correlation with intention to leave, it did not significantly predict turnover intention. Instead it was POS. POS has significant relationships with all the variables in this study. These findings have implications for how organizations might improve these outcomes. Introduction People are difficult to deal with at work because, among other things, of the extremely complicated nature of dieir attitudes and behaviours as well as their relationship with others. As an intensive employer of people, the hotel industry faces challenges in recruiting and retaining good employees, in a business characterized by large amounts of absenteeism and turnover. Over the past few decades tourism in Malaysia has flourished. At the present time there is insufficient hotel accommodation and hotels are struggling to secure good employees, especially those paid on an hourly basis. Numerous studies have examined the extent to which importance to human resource (HR) efforts lead to, or even cause, behavioural outcomes desired by employers (Becker & Gerhart, 1996; Scandura & Williams, 2004). One of the most investigated areas of research in this area is that e area of organisational commitment (OC). In general terms, OC can be defined as the level of attachment felt toward the organisation in which one is employed. Numerous studies have found that employees who are emotionally committed to the organisation demonstrate improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, less likelihood to quit dieir job and enhanced extra-role performance (Allen, 2003; Mowday, Porter & Steers, 1982). Some researchers believe that aiding employee development and providing training opportunities are crucial to gaining commitment from the organization's workforce (Bartlett, 2001; Rhoades, Eisenberger & Armeli, 2001; Scandura et al, 2004). Such efforts by organisations may be perceived by employees as indicative of the organisations' care and concern. Much of the research into OC has focused on perception of justice, pay policies, and leader-member exchange as antecedents (Wayne, Shore & Liden, 1997; Loi, Ngo & Foley, 2006). Surprisingly few studies have empirically examined the conditions under which different HR activities are most effective, as a result of which it is generally admitted that we still do not adequately understand the mechanisms through which the various HR efforts or activities create a sense of obligation or indebtedness in employee-organisation relationships (Shore & Shore, 1995). Career mentoring (CM) is one area of investigation here. Although recent research focusing on this issue is suggestive (Stallworth, 2003), further studies of CM are still required, especially within the context of the various social exchange variables that may be involved. To fill this gap in research, this study adopts a social exchange perspective and organisational support theory to examine how CM is related to the development of OC and perceived organizational support (POS) and how the two acting together may influence employee intention to leave, their current employer. Social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) has recently been applied extensively in organisational settings to demonstrate how activities on the part of an organization may create employee obligation and desirable performance. Such exchange ideologies are based on the 'norm of reciprocity' which holds that people should, and typically do, help or assist those who have assisted or helped them (Gouldner, 1960). The favourable treatment received by either exchange partner is reciprocated and leads to beneficial outcomes. …