A South African study on antecedents of intention to quit amongst employees in bed and breakfast establishments in the Free State province

Background: The continued growth in employment creation by small businesses in the hospitality sector necessitates research in organisational behaviour concepts such as turnover intentions that, for a long time, have been associated only with large organisations.Aim: This study investigated the impact of selected individual and organisational factors on turnover intentions amongst employees in bed and breakfast (BB) establishments in a district in the Free State province of South Africa.Setting: There is limited research within the South African context on antecedents of intention to quit amongst employees in BB establishments.Methods: The study was purely quantitative. An ex post facto design was adopted. One hundred and forty four (144) employees were chosen using convenience sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and data analysis was done by way of structural equation modelling (SEM).Results: Human resource practices, quality of work environment and organisational structure, all explained variance in intentions to quit. Human resource practices had a strong relationship with job satisfaction, and the quality of work environment was related to organisational commitment, while organisational structure explained employees’ job stress.Conclusion: The effectiveness of BB establishment owners’ interventions to reduce intentions to quit amongst employees is dependent on the implementation of excellent human resource management (HRM) practices and creating a conducive work environment that promotes employees’ long-term commitment to the business.