Employee engagement as a psychological buffer in the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intention
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26905/jpt.v21i1.16748Keywords:
Abusive supervision, Employee engagement, Job demands–resources theory, Turnover intentionAbstract
Organizations in service-intensive industries face persistent challenges related to employee turnover, particularly under high performance pressure and demanding supervisory practices. This study aims to examine the effect of abusive supervision on turnover intention and to test the moderating role of employee engagement as a psychological buffer. Using a quantitative explanatory design, data were collected through a census survey of 210 employees at a passenger vehicle distribution company in Indonesia and analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling. The results indicate that abusive supervision has a strong positive effect on turnover intention, while employee engagement has a significant negative effect. Furthermore, employee engagement moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and turnover intention by weakening its positive impact. Additional analysis shows that the buffering effect of engagement is stronger for intention to quit and thinking of quitting than for intention to search for alternatives. These findings contribute to the literature on destructive leadership by clarifying the boundary role of employee engagement and provide practical implications for improving leadership practices and retention strategies in service-oriented organizations.
Downloads
References
Ahmad, A., Ahmad, A., Edwin, C. A., & Shah, F. A. (2021). Association of abusive supervision with creativity and work engagement: the moderating role of trust in supervisor. Multicultural Education, Issue 10, 355–366. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5567325
Andari, D. F., Emilisa, N., & Puspa, T. (2024). Pengaruh faktor internal terhadap turnover intention pada perusahaan manufaktur Jakarta. Solusi: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Ilmu Ekonomi, 22(2), 139-152. https://doi.org/10.26623/slsi.v22i2.8993
Awardco. (2024, July). Employee turnover rates by industry: Trends and solutions. Awardco. Retrieved from: https://www.awardco.com/blog/employee-turnover-rates.
Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual review of organizational psychology and organizational behavior, 10(1), 25-53. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933
Bakri, M. (2024). Applying organizational psychology principles for positive workplace outcomes. Advances in Human Resource Management Research, 2(1), 36-49. https://doi.org/10.60079/ahrmr.v2i1.258
Bothma, C. F., & Roodt, G. (2013). The validation of the turnover intention scale. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v11i1.507
Dai, Y. D., Zhuang, W. L., & Huan, T. C. (2019). Engage or quit? The moderating role of abusive supervision between resilience, intention to leave and work engagement. Tourism Management, 70, 69-77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.07.014
Dhali, K., Al Masud, A., Hossain, M. A., Lipy, N. S., & Chaity, N. S. (2023). The effects of abusive supervision on the behaviors of employees in an organization. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8(1), 100695. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100695
Galan, N. (2023). Knowledge loss induced by organizational member turnover: a review of empirical literature, synthesis and future research directions (Part II). The Learning Organization, 30(2), 137-161. https://doi.org/10.1108/TLO-09-2022-0107
Gallup. (2025). State of the global workplace understanding employees, informing leaders. Gallup.
Ghimire, S. K. (2024). Employee engagement and turnover intention in Nepalese banking sector. Perspectives on Higher Education, 14, 123-146. https://doi.org/10.3126/phe.v14i1.76585
Gupta, M., & Shaheen, M. (2017). Impact of work engagement on turnover intention: Moderation by psychological capital in India. Business: Theory and Practice, 18, 136-143. https://doi.org/10.3846/btp.2017.014
Hadi, S., Sulistyawati, E., Kirana, K. C., Dianti, C. A. I., Purnasari, E., & Ashakah, F. O. (2025). Abusive leadership and turnover intention: How employee and work engagement act as shields. Asian Management and Business Review, 74-89. https://doi.org/10.20885/AMBR.vol5.iss1.art6
Handaru, A. W., Rahman, N. F., & Parimita, W. (2021). Pengaruh job insecurity dan komitmen organisasi terhadap turnover intention pada karyawan industri manufaktur (Automotive dan Metal Part). JRMSI-Jurnal Riset Manajemen Sains Indonesia, 12(1), 15-39. https://doi.org/10.21009/JRMSI.012.1.02
Harwita, D. M. R. (2023). Abusive supervision: Telaah literatur. Berajah Journal, 3(2), 305-314. https://doi.org/10.47353/bj.v3i2.230
Hom, P. W., Allen, D. G., & Griffeth, R. W. (2019). Employee retention and turnover: Why employees stay or leave (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315145587
Iskandar, Y. C., & Rahadi, D. R. (2021). Strategi organisasi penanganan turnover melalui pemberdayaan karyawan. Solusi: Jurnal Ilmiah Bidang Ilmu Ekonomi, 19(1), 102–116. https://doi.org/10.26623/slsi.v19i1.3003
Kristiana, I. F., & Purwono, U. (2019). Analisis Rasch dalam Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-9 (UWES 9) versi Bahasa Indonesia. Jurnal Psikologi Universitas Diponegoro, 17(2), 204-217. https://doi.org/10.14710/jp.17.2.204-217
Li, L., & Zhang, J. (2022). Turnover intention: Impacts of abusive supervision and thriving at work. International Journal of Business and Management, 17(10), 53-63. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v17n10p53
Lubis, R., Syafitri, N., Alyani, N. N., Maylinda, R. N., Anda, R., & Zulfiyanti, N. (2024). Job stress and turnover intention in Generation Z teachers: Resilience as a moderator. Psikologika: Jurnal Pemikiran dan Penelitian Psikologi, 29(1), 125-142. https://doi.org/10.20885/psikologika.vol29.iss1.art8
Oliveira, L. B., & Najnudel, P. S. (2023). The influence of abusive supervision on employee engagement, stress and turnover intention. Revista de Gestão, 30(1), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.1108/REGE-02-2021-0025
Purba, S. D., & Ananta, A. N. D. (2018). The effects of work passion, work engagement and job satisfaction on turn over intention of the millennial generation. Jurnal Manajemen dan Pemasaran Jasa, 11(2), 263-274. https://doi.org/10.25105/jmpj.v11i2.2954
Rohendra, T., Jannah, A. R., & Fahlevi, R. (2024). Faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi retensi karyawan Generasi Z pada perusahaan startup di Indonesia tahun 2022. Jurnal Ekonomi Pembangunan STIE Muhammadiyah Palopo, 10(2), 352-361. https://doi.org/10.35906/jep.v10i2.2146
Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In Handbook of market research (pp. 587-632). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57413-4_15
Schaufeli, W., & Bakker, A. (2004). UWES: Utrecht Work Engagement Scale preliminary manual.
Sigma Research. (2023, May 29). Pentingnya riset pasar dalam industri otomotif. Sigma Research. Retrieved from: https://sigmaresearch.co.id/Pentingnya-Riset-Pasar-Dalam-Industri-Otomotif/
Susanto, G. A., Sudjadi, A., & Pinasti, M. (2019). Pengaruh sifat gelap pemimpin terhadap niat keluar kerja karyawan. Performance: Jurnal Personalia, Financial, Operasional, Marketing dan Sistem Informasi, 26(2), 115-127.
Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 178-190. https://doi.org/10.2307/1556375
Utami, F. P., & Siswanto, T. (2021). Pengaruh employer branding dan employee engagement terhadap turnover intention Generasi Z pada industri FMCG. Liquidity, 10(2), 236-246. https://doi.org/10.32546/lq.v10i2.1327
Valentine, S. R., Meglich, P. A., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2020). Human resource management (16th ed.). Cengage.
Wen, D., Yan, D., & Sun, X. (2022). Employee satisfaction, employee engagement and turnover intention: The moderating role of position level. Human Systems Management, 41(3), 407-422. https://doi.org/10.3233/HSM-211505
Yulmia, I. M. G., & Putra, M. S. (2020). Pengaruh sikap kasar pengawas (abusive supervision) terhadap niat pindah (turnover intention). E-Jurnal Manajemen, 9(8), 29–56. https://doi.org/10.24843/EJMUNUD.2020.v09.i08.p04
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
