Impact of Occupational Stress on Turnover Intention of Machine Operators in Selected Apparel Manufacturing Companies in Sri Lanka

Area of the Study This study has been conducted to identify the impact of occupational stress on turnover intention of machine operators in selected apparel manufacturing companies in Sri Lanka. Problem of the Study Due to the lack of empirical findings on the relationship between occupational stress on employee turnover intention, this study is aimed to investigate the relationship between occupational stress and turnover intention of machine operators. Method of the study The data were collected from machine operators in selected apparel manufacturing firms and the questionnaire which consisted of included 23 questions were used to gather primary data from 178 machine operators. Data were analyzed through SPSS package and it included unvariate and bivariate analyses. Findings of the Study The finding of the study shows that there is a significant positive relationship between occupational stress and turnover intention among the sample. Furthermore results indicate that supervisory support, work overload, job autonomy, role conflict, role ambiguity and unfairness of reward have significant impact on turnover intention. Conclusion of the Study It is concluded that occupational stress is one of the significant factors that determine turnover intention of machine operators in the apparel sector organizations. Thus for the future success of the organization, it is advisable for apparel manufacturing firms to formulate strategies to manage the stress of machine operatorsin order to enhance employee retention. Keywords: Occupational Stress, Turnover Intention, Supervisory Support, Work Overload, Job Autonomy, Role Conflict, Role Ambiguity, Unfairness of Reward