Int. J. Innovation and Learning, Vol. 26, No.

2, 2019 155

Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of

employee turnover intention in UAE banks:
a mixed-methods approach

Hamad Alqubati* and Christopher Dixon

College of Business,
Abu Dhabi University,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Email: hamad_369@hotmail.com
Email: christopher.dixon@adu.ac.ae
*Corresponding author

Chowdhury Hossan
Kent Institute of Australia,
350 Queen St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Email: Chowdhury.hossan@kent.edu.au

Abstract: Statistics between 2011 and 2014 reveal that the ratio of UAE
nationals in the banking sector has decreased from 35% to 34% despite growth
in the sector. This study intends to focus on and identify the factors affecting
the turnover among UAE nationals in the banking sector using qual-quant
mixed methods approach. The estimated betas reveal that the cost of
leaving a job, after service benefits, the financial benefits, the peer-to-peer and
leader-employee relationship, and the career growth prospects significantly
affect turnover intention. Further, financial benefits, after-service benefits are
the most important variables affecting job satisfaction and organisational
commitment. In addition, the qualitative analysis suggests that work overload
and stress affect job satisfaction. The present paper enhances the rigour and
validity of the data and findings by using a mixed methods approach. Findings
of the paper call for a review of current managerial practices in the UAE
banking sector.

Keywords: mixed method approach; regression analysis; organisational

commitment; job satisfaction; turnover intention; banking sector; emiratisation;
after-service benefits; government policies; perceived organisational support;
social exchange theory.

Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Alqubati, H., Dixon, C. and
Hossan, C. (2019) ‘Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee
turnover intention in UAE banks: a mixed-methods approach’, Int. J.
Innovation and Learning, Vol. 26, No. 2, pp.155–176.

Biographical notes: Hamad Alqubati is a Senior Contracts Engineer at the

Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Petroleum Operations. He has over 13 years
of experience in procurement and contracting field. He earned his Executive
Master’s in Business Administration from the Higher Colleges of Technology,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

Copyright © 2019 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

156 H. Alqubati et al.

Christopher Dixon is an Associate Professor of Management from the College

of Business Administration, Abu Dhabi University. He has 30 years of
international experience in the petroleum, gas, continuous process and related
energy business in the capacity of line manager and consultant. He has
conducted training courses in the public sector including the Hong Kong Police
and Civil Service, and has worked in nine countries in Europe, the Arabian
Peninsula and Asia Pacific regions. He obtained his PhD from the City
University Hong Kong where he researched issues of organisation development
and learning. As an academic and trainer, he has experience in teaching and
facilitating management and academic courses and leading organisation teams
and university students to lead themselves as they transfer their knowledge and
skills from the training environment and the classroom to the workplace.

Chowdhury Hossan is the Chief Consultant of the Australian Research and

Development Consultancy. He has 20 years of experience in survey-based
research and data analysis. He is also teaching at the School of Business,
Latrobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Previously, he was working as an
Assistant Professor of Management at the College of Business Administration,
Abu Dhabi University, UAE. He earned his PhD in Management from the
School of Management of Latrobe University, Australia. He received his
Master’s in E-business Management from the International University of Japan,
Japan and MBA from the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. He has published
more than 30 research articles and conference papers in international reputed
journals and conferences proceedings. He has supervised several DBA and PhD
students. His researcher interest includes leadership, change management,
e-Government, and HRM. He is a trainer for computer-based data analysis for
both qualitative method and quantitative method.

1 Introduction

The presence of turnover intention, which is a negative response of an employee to a

current employment situation and a desire to seek an alternative employer, can lead to a
serious setback to the objectives and strategic goals of an organisation. Several studies
(Djebarni and Kamel, 2011; Gibson, 2009; Walker and Campbell, 2013; Ertosun and
Erdil, 2012; Ibrahim and Perez, 2014) have been conducted to explore the factors
affecting the turnover intention of employees. A satisfied employee of an organisation
does not appear to intend to leave the organisation (Morrison, 2008; Yue et al., 2011). In
the current competitive market phenomenon, skilled labour with a higher degree of
satisfaction and commitment towards the firm is the real source of comparative advantage
and offers a competitive edge over other organisations (Perryer et al., 2010). Similarly,
another study (Standing et al., 2016) has argued that employees can be innovative when
they have stronger perceptions of co-workers and have organisational support.
However, this finding does not mean that the satisfaction of employees always
remains the same. Varying factors, termed push (internal) and pull (external) factors as
identified in Deci and Ryan (2008), affect employee turnover intention. Muliawan et al.
(2009) asserted that turnover intention has garnered as many as 1,500 scientific studies.
However, very few studies have entertained the issue using the mixed methods research
approach. For example, Jasim (2008), De Gieter et al. (2011), Mattila (2006), and
Mor Barak et al. (2006) have rigorously used the mixed methods approach. The decision
to leave an organisation may not only be due to financial benefits; it may indicate the
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 157

existence of various factors such as prestige in working with other organisations, such as
government organisations, as suggested by Suliman (2008) and Al Kaathairi (2012).
Shanthi et al. (2012) constructed a conceptual framework to link organisational culture
and job-related outcomes. The authors concluded their study with suggestions on how to
enhance employees’ job-related performance by meeting the expectations of employees.
Further employee performance is directly related to the employee retention practices
observed at organisational levels. More recently, studies have been conducted on
turnover intention among employees in UAE various departments. For example, (Jabeen
et al., 2018) on the turnover intention among Emarati women has suggested that quality
of life at work has a positive impact on job satisfaction and negative impact on the
turnover intention. Another study is from Jabeen and Alhashmi (2018) on turnover
intention among police personnel. Their results reveal that work–family conflict and job
autonomy have a significant correlation with turnover intention. Comparing the rates with
the global rates, Modi (2017) predicted that “the rates across world will rise from around
20 percent in 2012 to more than 23 percent by 2018, quoting the Hay Group, and the
trend is particularly prevalent in the UAE and the rest of the GCC given the transient
nature of the expat population, which makes up a large proportion of the labour force”.
Studying the resilience of workforce in retail SME sector and turnover intention in Dubai,
Shahryari and Ahmad (2017) suggest that the retail sector is suffering from high turnover
rate. The sector can control the rate by strengthening the mediating role of emotional
exhaustion with the moderating effect of resilience among employees.
The researchers (Kundu and Gahlawat, 2016) have argued that development and
empowerment of employees through a supportive organisational culture lead towards
enhancement of a firm’s performance. The mixed-methods approach applies holistic
analysis that is flexible and may be associated with any one approach. Furthermore, this
approach offers wider scope and reliability to the study. Quantitative data from the
sample population are collected by distributing questionnaires, and qualitative data are
collected through face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions. Four models,
which are job satisfaction, organisational commitment, turnover intention with various
factors affecting it, and turnover intention estimated with gender and experience, have
been empirically estimated using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. A total of
110 questionnaires were distributed for quantitative analysis among bank employees who
are UAE nationals across all positions and designations in banks. In the qualitative
portion of the study, bank employees who are UAE nationals from Dubai and Abu Dhabi
were interviewed (N = 30). A thematic content analysis of the collected responses to
open-ended questions was performed in line with the research objectives of the study.
The results of both approaches were then integrated using the sequential explanatory
approach.
The motivation for the selection of the banking sector for this study is the growth of
the UAE financial sector and the increased workload and uncertainty (due to the 2009
financial crisis). The turnover trend has been rising among male and female workers who
are UAE nationals in the banking sector. In 2014, the UAE banking sector
accommodated 11,676 male and female employees who are UAE nationals, representing
32% of the total number of employees, which were 36,505. This represents a decrease of
1,123 UAE nationals over three years, despite the increase in the total number of
employees and the number of bank branches in that period. Although it is generally
believed that the salary and pay structure in the banking sector is relatively higher, it is
158 H. Alqubati et al.

not only the salary but also other non-financial benefits, such as working hours and
after-service benefits that affect employee satisfaction and turnover intention. Bafaneli
(2015) has quoted Bokeno (2011) and is of the opinion that most UAE nationals who
leave the banking sector prefer to find a job in the government sector, where the
workload and pressure are relatively less and on-the-job benefits/perks and
after-retirement benefits are comparatively higher.
The paper is organised as follows. This section is devoted to a discussion of the
reviewed literature. After the literature review, discussion of the theoretical background
and the applied methodology follows. The data quality, the reliability, and the sampling
technique used in the study are discussed. A regression analysis of the four models and a
thematic content analysis is presented, followed by a discussion and, ultimately, the
conclusions.

2 Materials and methods

2.1 Theoretical background

Two main theories, social exchange theory and perceived organisational support theory,
provide theoretical foundations for any link between turnover intention, job
satisfaction, and organisational commitment. Social exchange theory suggests that the
employee-employer relationship is not merely an economic exchange; it extends further
and includes social exchange (Blau, 1964). This theory was first developed in 1958, as
cited in Cook and Erick (2001). According to the definition of social exchange theory, it
is the social exchange between two individuals in a society, be it tangible or intangible
and rewarding or costly. Self-interest and interdependence are considered the central
properties of the theory. Here, self-interest is considered a source of overall betterment in
society and a guiding force for the advancement of the self-interest of both parties
(Roloff, 1981). Conversely, perceived organisational support theory concerns the degree
to which an individual employee believes that the organisation values his or her
contributions and cares about the well-being of the employees. Furthermore, this theory
also assesses whether the employee believes that the organisation fulfils his or her
socio-emotional needs. The idea was first floated in Eisenberger and Rhoades’s
organisational support theory (Eisenberger et al. 1986).
Other studies (Meyer and Allen 1984) have asserted that organisational commitment
and employee loyalty have a large role to play in determining the turnover of employees
in an organisation. Organisations need to promote policies and an environment to develop
greater loyalty among employees if they want to reduce turnover and improve on-the-job
behaviour. Another study (Suliman and Hanan, 2013) analysed the link between
employee perceptions about the corporate climate and the staff turnover in Islamic
banking in the UAE. The paper concluded that organisational justice, as a component of
the corporate climate, has a profound influence on the employee turnover intention. In
another study (Ibrahim and Al Falasi, 2014), on employee loyalty and engagement in the
public sector of the United Arab Emirates the author confirmed that the affective
commitment is significantly important for work engagement. The study is in accordance
with (Shuck et al. 2011), who validated the notion that increased work engagement and
loyalty leads to higher affective commitment. The current study is filling the gap in the
pre-existing body of empirical research.
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 159

2.2 Mixed methods approach

Researchers have identified a philosophical gulf between qualitative and quantitative
research techniques. Purists from both sides (see, for example, Campbell and Stanley,
1963; Guba and Lincoln, 1994) have articulated their arguments on each side of the
approach. On the other hand, quantitative purists (see Ayre, 1966; Maxwell and Delaney,
2004; Schrag, 1992) have suggested that social research should be objective and that time
and context-free generalisations of the outcomes are very likely in a social phenomenon.
On the other hand, certain qualitative purists (such as Schwandt, 2000; Smith, 1983,
1984) have argued that time and context-free generalisations are not possible, as the
researcher and the objectives of the research are merely subject to a set of certain values.
Howe (1988) introduced the incompatibility thesis.
In considering this finding, the mixed methods approach emerged as a third path of
research in various social sciences (Greene et al., 2009; O’Cathain, 2009; Tashakkori and
Teddlie, 2003); however, very few management and organisational studies are found
(Azorín and Cameron 2010). The use of mixed methods in organisational studies is not
very popular (see Creswell, 2003; Gretchen and Bruce, 1991) but is gaining momentum
(Caracelli and Greene, 1993). This finding is due to the degree of complexity and extra
financial and time resources required in the mixed methods approach (Creswell and Plano
Clark, 2007; Niglas, 2004). Therefore, most authors have been using the mono-method
(either quantitative or qualitative) (such as O’Halloran, 20121; Forrier and Luc, 2003;
Cerinsek and Dolinsek, 2009), and others have used the quantitative approach, such as
Nienaber and Masibigiri (2012) and Arokiasamy (2013), to study employee loyalty,
commitment, and satisfaction. Most satisfied employees remain the most innovative
(Arokiasamy, 2013).
Two key modes used in mixed-methods design, which include triangulation, or
embedded design, and sequential mixed-methods designs, which include explanatory,
exploratory, and sequential embedded design (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007).
The sequential explanatory approach is used to conduct the qualitative study to help
explain the quantitative results. Sequential exploratory studies are conducted to follow
up, test, or verify the qualitative findings (Creswell and Plano Clark, 2007). The current
study has applied the sequential explanatory approach.
Furthermore, the paper will be of crucial importance to policy makers in the ongoing
Emiratisation process in the country.

2.3 Model (quantitative analysis)

The following paragraphs explain the sampling and data collection, the reliability, and the
regression analysis of the collected data.
The OLS method is used to estimate four regression equations; equation (1) regards
the estimation of job satisfaction. The equation shows the statistical relationship between
job satisfaction and financial benefits, after-service plans, freedom on the job, and scope
of the job.
JobSat D 0  D1 FnB  D 2 AfSrPl  D 3 FoB  D 4 JobFB  D 5 ScoJob (1)
160 H. Alqubati et al.

Job satisfaction is dependent on five variables: financial benefits (FnB), after-service

plans (AfSrPl), freedom on the job (FoB), job feedback (JobFB), and scope of the job
(ScoJob).
OrgCom D 0  D1 LdrEmp  D 2 FnB  D 3CaGr  D 4 AfSrPl (2)

The second equation is the establishment of a statistical relationship between

organisational commitment and its determinants: leader-employee relationship (LdrEmp),
financial benefits (FnB), career growth prospects (CaGr), and after-service plans
(AfSrPl).
The third and fourth equations regard the estimation of turnover intention among
Emirati employees in banks in the UAE. In the third equation, we used turnover intention
as the dependent variable and experience and gender as the independent variables in
addition to job satisfaction and organisational commitment.
Turnover1 D 0  D1 ExP  D 2 Gndr  D 3 JobSat  D 4 OrgCom (3)

Turnover 2 D 0  D1 P 2 P  D 2 FnB  D 3CaGr  D 4 AfSrPl  D 5 LdEmp  D 6 CoQ (4)

The fourth equation regards the impact of individual variables such as peer-to-peer
relationship (P2P), financial benefits (FnB), career growth prospects (CaGr),
after-service plans (AfSrPl), leader-employee relationship (LdrEmp), and cost of quitting
the current job.

2.4 Research instrument

For quantitative analysis, a structured questionnaire containing questions on turnover
intention, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment was used. The responses of the
respondents were recorded in a five-point Likert scale (1 = very good/strongly agree and
5 = very bad/strongly disagree). The questionnaire used in the study was borrowed from
Kittiruengcharn (1997) and modified to serve the purpose of the current study. The study
(Kittiruengcharn, 1997) addressed the causal link between turnover intention, job
satisfaction, organisational satisfaction and organisational commitment among public
sector engineers in Thailand. The author applied path analysis through multiple
regression and the Pearson correlation.

2.5 Selected variables and their internal reliability

A total of 12 variables were selected from the collected data based on 80 questions.
‘Turnover’ measures the turnover intention among the respondents. ‘FoB’ measures the
level of freedom the respondents enjoy on the job. ‘ScoJob’ measures the scope of job in
terms of social standing. ‘JobFB’ measures the feedback participants are getting on their
performance. ‘LdrEmp’ measures the level of supervisor-employee relationship. ‘CoQ’
measures the time and money cost of quitting the job. ‘P2P’ measures the relationship
between peers. ‘JobSat’ measures the job satisfaction. ‘FnB’ measures financial benefits
of the employees. ‘CaGr’ measures the career growth prospects like promotions of the
employees. ‘AfSrPl’ measures the attractiveness of after service plans like pensions of
the bank. ‘OrgCom’ measures organisational commitment the employees feel.
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 161

Demographic questions were treated separately from the variables. All the variables
were the average outcome of more than two or three responses from each respondent.
The internal reliability of the data was checked by estimating the overall value of
Cronbach’s alpha of all 12 items included in the analysis. The data are reliable as the
Cronbach’s alpha value is 0.995, which is far greater than the acceptable benchmark
value of 0.7. Table 1 presents the overall and item-wise reliability statistics.
Table 1 Overall reliability statistics

Reliability statistics
Cronbach’s alpha N of variables
.995 12

The reliability statistics of the variables included in the model are presented in Table 2.
Table 2 Reliability of the selected variables

Reliability of variables
Scale mean Scale variance Total corr. Cronbach’s alpha
1 Turnover 43.5250 155.761 .985 .994
2 FoB 43.9190 154.446 .958 .995
3 ScoJob 43.5415 157.413 .985 .994
4 JobFB 43.5170 157.608 .989 .994
5 LdrEmp 43.2297 158.893 .984 .995
6 CoQ 43.4873 157.631 .990 .994
7 P2P 43.3312 161.135 .962 .995
8 JobSat 43.6040 152.520 .974 .995
9 FnB 43.1990 156.267 .985 .994
10 CaGr 43.9715 152.937 .961 .995
11 AfSrPl 43.5990 153.220 .979 .995
12 OrgCom 43.2947 159.501 .977 .995

3 Results

The previous job experience of the first author in banking sector of UAE was
instrumental in identifying the respondents of the study. Total of seven branches (four in
Abu Dhabi and three in Dubai) of three main banks were selected.2 Total of 110 UAE
national (Emaratis) employees of mixed positions and cadres from the seven branches
were approached for questionnaires. They were sent the self explanatory questionnaires
through e-mails. After cleaning the data 100 filled questionnaires were recorded and used
for the analysis. Of those 100 respondents, 64% were between the age of 25 and 35 years;
53.2% were females, and 46.8% were males to avoid any gender bias. Furthermore, the
majority of the respondents, 77%, were drawing AED 10,000 or more in monthly salary.
162 H. Alqubati et al.

3.1 Regression analysis

The demographic data collected through questionnaires included age, gender, marital
status and monthly salary. Of 100 respondents, 38% were 25 years old or under, followed
by 36% and 30% between the age of 26–35 years and 36–45 years old, respectively. Only
8% respondents were 46 years old and above. Moreover, to uphold the gender balance in
the primary data, 53% of the respondents were male, and 47% were female. The marital
status of respondents reflected 53% married and 41% single; only 6% were divorced or
widowed. Regarding monthly income, 52% of the respondents were drawing a salary
between AED 10,000 and AED 20,000; 25% were drawing between AED 20,000 and
AED 30,000, and 12.4% were drawing a salary above AED 30,000.

3.1.1 Model 1
The estimation results of the first equation on job satisfaction are presented in Table 3.
Here, job satisfaction as dependent variable is regressed on financial benefits (FnB),
after-service plans (AfSrPl), freedom on the job (FoB), job feedback (JobFB), and scope
of the job (ScoJob).
Table 3 Summary of the estimated results of the job satisfaction equation

Independent Unstandardised coefficients Standardised

Sign.
variables SE coefficients
(Constant) –.117 .088 .188
FnB .098 .091 .084 .024
AfSrPl .831 .078 .806 .000
FoB .122 .064 .116 .050
JobFB .223 .112 .181 .050
ScoJob .209 .096 .172 .032
R2 = 0.980 F = 903.054 (0.000)
Note: Dependent variable: job satisfaction.
The explanatory power and strength of the model and its variables are collectively
endorsed from large values of R2 (0.98) and F-statistics (903.05) with a p-value of less
than 5%. R2 (0.98) shows that 98% of the variance of the model is explained. The F-value
is significant at 0% p-value. For individual coefficients of the independent variables, all
assumed a positive sign with a probability of 5% or less that the relationship is by chance.
Therefore, for all individual coefficients, it is accepted that the relationship is statistically
significant. These results also show the generalisability power of the selected model. The
small size of the constant also suggests that the effect on turnover from factors other than
those currently included in the model is very minimal. Examining the beta standardised
coefficients, one can know that the single most important variable causing job
satisfaction among Emirati bankers is the after-service plans, with a value of (0.806).
This variable includes retirement and pension benefits. Theoretically, the importance of
the uncertainty of the future and the anticipated source of income once a person reaches
old age is never underestimated. The second most important variable is job feedback
(0.181), followed by scope of the job (0.172). Prestige associated with the job is the most
important factor affecting job satisfaction in the Emirati culture in particular and in the
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 163

Arab culture in general. Freedom on the job (0.116) and financial benefits (0.084) are the
least important factors affecting the job satisfaction of the respondents.
To summarise, for UAE nationals working in the banking sector, job satisfaction is
primarily dependent on after-service financial benefits and scope of the job. The higher
the scope of the job is, the higher the level of satisfaction is; the higher the after-service
benefits are, the higher the job satisfaction is. Other variables included in the model also
have a positive and statistically significant impact on job satisfaction.

3.1.2 Model 2
Table 4 presents the regression results of the estimated equation on organisational
commitment. The model 2 is about statistical relationship between organisational
commitment (DV) and leader-employee relationship (LdrEmp), financial benefits (FnB),
career growth prospects (CaGr), and after-service plans (AfSrPl). All independent
variables statistically significantly affected the changes in the level of organisational
commitment. The large R2 (0.996) value indicates that the model has explained 99% of
the variance. The individual t-values and their significance at p < 0.05 show the
generalisability power of the model and its statistically significant impact on
organisational commitment. The most important variable is the leader-employee
association (r = .656, p = .000), which determines the organisational commitment among
Emirati employees in the banking sector. Culturally, Emirati people have been observed
to accord the utmost importance to personal behaviour and relationships and associations
with co-workers and colleagues. This characteristic is embedded in the social and cultural
norms of Emirati people. The same is statistically proven from the results. The second
most important factor statistically affecting the organisational commitment is financial
benefits (FnB) with standardised Beta coefficient assuming an estimated value of 0.472
in the fourth column (Table 4). Career growth (CaGr) and after-service plans (AfSrPl)
assume third and fourth place in impacting the organisational commitment with (0.321)
and (0.167) values of standardised beta coefficients. All independent variables are
statistically significant at p = 0.000.
Table 4 Summary of the estimated results of the organisational commitment equation

Independent Unstandardised coefficients Standardised

t Sign.
variables SE coefficients
(Constant) –.056 .049 –1.144 .255
LdrEmp .656 .041 .669 15.902 .000
FnB .414 .047 .472 8.862 .000
CaGr .243 .026 .321 9.344 .000
AfSrPl .130 .038 .167 3.443 .001
2
R = 0.996 F = 2629.262 (0.000)
Note: Dependent variable: organisational commitment.

3.1.3 Model 3
Table 5 presents the estimated results of turnover intention. The model estimates
relationship between turnover intention (DV) and peer-to-peer (P2P) relationship,
164 H. Alqubati et al.

financial benefits, career growth, after-service plans, leader-employee relationship and

cost of quitting the job. With a strong model and its generalisability power, the results
suggest that the most important factor that determines the turnover intention of Emirati
employees is the cost of quitting the job, with a beta standardised coefficient value of
0.482 in column four of Table 5. Cost of quitting job may affect the employee with
turnover intention by many means. An indemnified alternative job before quitting the
existing job is the major cost of quitting, and the majority of the respondents showed
concern over quitting the job without having another waiting. After-service plan is the
second most important variable affecting turnover intention, with a value of beta of
0.307. The after service plan includes retirement and pension benefits applicable to the
retirees. It may be the case that strong after service plans ensure the maintenance of the
employees’ living standards after retirement. The other four variables, P2P, FnB, CaGr,
and LdrEmp, have nearly the same impact on turnover intention, with standardised beta
values of 0.227, 0.267, 0.260, and 0.207, respectively. These variables are important;
however, they are generic in nature and leave their impact on employee turnover in
general.
Table 5 Summary of the estimated result of the turnover intention equation

Independent Unstandardised coefficients Standardised

t Sign.
variables SE coefficients
(Constant) –.056 .083 –675 .501
P2P .281 .108 .227 –2.614 .010
FnB –.272 .080 .267 –3.411 .001
CaGr –.182 .050 .207 –3.645 .000
AfSrPl –.006 .064 .307 –.101 .020
LdrEmp –.297 .137 .260 –2.171 .033
CoQ –.523 .092 .482 –5.657 .000
R2 = 0.982 F = 839.488 (0.000)
Note: Dependent variable: turnover intention.

3.1.4 Model 4
Table 6 discusses the estimated result of the second equation of turnover intention. In this
equation, the turnover intention of Emirati bankers was estimated using organisational
commitment, job satisfaction, experience, and gender as the independent variables.
The estimated results in Table 6 indicate that the experience (in number of years) has
a negative and statistically significant impact on the turnover intention among Emirati
bankers, although not drastically affecting it, with standardised beta value of (–0.034).
The independent variable of gender reflects a positive statistically significant impact on
turnover intention. This finding indicates that the turnover intention increases when the
gender is male. Job satisfaction and organisational commitment as independent variables
affect turnover intention negatively and significantly (given p-vales 0.000). However, the
standardised beta values of job satisfaction (0.500) and organisational commitment
(0.401) suggest that the impact of job satisfaction is higher than organisational
commitment on turnover intention. Large R2 and F-stat. values with p = 0.000 reinforce
that the developed model and the selected variables are strong and robust.
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 165

Table 6 Summary of the estimated result of the turnover intention equation with gender and
experience

Independent Unstandardised coefficients Standardised

t Sign.
variables SE coefficients
(Constant) .613 .311 1.969 .052
Experience –.028 .020 –.034 –1.385 .019
Gender .224 .098 .107 2.281 .025
JobSat –.438 .066 .500 –6.611 .000
OrgCom –.466 .091 .401 –5.118 .000
R2 = 0.974 F = 443.69 (0.000)
Note: Dependent variable: turnover intention.

3.2 Summary of quantitative analysis

Estimation of all four models reflects significant coefficient estimates with a strong
explanatory power. Turnover intention among Emirati banking professionals is
significantly determined from job satisfaction and organisational commitment (see
Table 5 for detailed results). The signs of job satisfaction and organisational commitment
are negative, which confirms that the higher the satisfaction and organisational
commitment is, the lower the turnover intention is. Furthermore, when regressed on
experience, turnover intention is less when experience is high. Turnover intention is
higher among males than among females. Moreover, turnover intention is regressed on
individual variables such as peer-to-peer relationship (P2P), financial benefits (FnB),
career growth (CaGr), after-service benefits (AfSrPl), leader-employee relationship
(LdrEmp), and cost of quitting (CoQ).
As per the conventional standard, turnover intention is higher among Emirati bankers
when they sense a deteriorating peer-to-peer relationship, relatively fewer financial
benefits3 and poor prospects of career growth. Furthermore, relatively less lucrative
after-service or retirement plans motivate employees to leave the banking sector as it is
believed that, with poor after service plans, the living standard may not be maintained.
Moreover, leader-employee relationship plays instrumental role in significantly affecting
the turnover intention. Standardised coefficients indicate that the most important factor
affecting turnover intention is cost of quitting,4 followed by financial benefits,
peer-to-peer relationship, leader-employee relationship, and career growth.

3.3 Qualitative analysis

Qualitative analysis is undertaken to examine the job satisfaction and turnover intention
of professionals who are UAE nationals in the banking sector of the country. The data for
qualitative analysis are collected through structured open-ended questions presented in
Table A1. Approximately 60 respondents were sent electronic invitations for interviews
for qualitative analysis. However, only 30 respondents accepted the invitations. All
interviewees were coded from P01 to P30. The positions of the interviewees were
classified into three categories, managerial, non-managerial and technical where 40%
(12) belonged to managerial, 53.3% (16) to non-managerial and 6.67% (2) belonged to
166 H. Alqubati et al.

technical positions. Out of total interviewees, 13.3% (4) were MBA and 13.3% (4) were
high school certificate holders. Majority of the interviewees (73.3% or 22) were bachelor
in the fields of accounting (4), marketing (6), business (6), finance (2), IT and
engineering (3) and human resource management (1).
Following Table 7 presents the profile and education level of the interviewees.
Table 7 Profile of the respondents

Identifier Position in the organisation Academic qualification

Participant 01 (as P01)
Participant 02 (as P02)
Participant 03 (as P03)
Participant 04 (as P04)
Participant 05 (as P05)
Participant 06 (as P06)
Participant 07 (as P07)
Participant 08 (as P08)
Participant 09 (as P09)
Participant 10 (as P10)
Participant 11 (as P11)
Participant 12 (as P12)
Participant 13 (as P13)
Participant 14 (as P14)
Participant 15 (as P15)
Participant 16 (as P16)
Participant 17 (as P17)
Participant 18 (as P18)
Participant 19 (as P19)
Participant 20 (as P20)
Participant 21 (as P21)
Participant 22 (as P22)
Participant 23 (as P23)
Participant 24 (as P24)
Participant 25 (as P25)
Participant 26 (as P26)
Participant 27 (as P27)
Participant 28 (as P28)
Participant 29 (as P29)
Participant 30 (as P30)
Executive director Bachelor of Accounting
Branch manager MBA
Branch acting manager Bachelor of Marketing
Customer service manager Bachelor of Business
Cashier High school
Financial counsellor Bachelor of Accounting
Business development manager Bachelor of Business
Call centre officer Diploma Business
Records management team leader Bachelor of Marketing
Senior loan officer Bachelor of Business
Call centre manager MBA
Teller High school
Customer service officer Bachelor of Marketing
Customer service officer Bachelor of Marketing
Audit specialist Bachelor of Accounting
Head of customer service Bachelor of Business
Information technology manager BSc of IT
Credit analyst Bachelor of Marketing
Financial analyst Bachelor of Finance
Head of banking operations section Bachelor of Finance
Personal banker High school
Cashier High school
Facilities manager BSc of Engineering
Head of HR MBA
ATM specialist BSc of Engineering
Regional manager MBA
HR specialist Bachelor of HRM
Customer service supervisor Bachelor of Business
Head of loans section Bachelor of Accounting
Head of sales section Bachelor of Marketing
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 167

3.3.1 Thematic analysis

All respondents in the interview list agreed with the notion that financial benefits, salary
package, and other allowances, such as the education of children, help employees remain
longer at the banks.
Table 8 Key issues discussed during the interviewees and associated frequency

Themes No. of respondents Percent Response

1 Salary 30 100% Yes
2 Type of supervision 30 100% Matters
3 Responsibility and 30 100% Matters
accountability
4 External opportunities 30 100% Matters
5 After service benefits 30 100% Matters
6 Government or 15 50% Yes
semi-government jobs
7 Other benefits (excluding 12 40% Yes
after service benefits)
8 Nature of job and difficulty 3 10% Yes
9 Career growth 24 80% No
10 Utilisation of skills by bank 24 80% Yes
11 Job pressure 28 93% Yes
12 Ethnic diversity 15 50% Positive

Salary
All interviewees suggested an increase in salary within the range of 15% to 100% will
retain the employees for longer in the bank. One respondent (P01) said, “There is huge
competition in the banking industry to attract well-connected bankers from other banks.
One way to attract bankers is for other banks to offer a better financial package.” Some of
the interviewees also recommended that salaries in the banking sector should match the
living standards in the city and should match that of government pay scales. One
respondent (P02) argued, “Increasing financial benefits will lead the employee to stay
longer with the bank since banks’ financial benefits are less than government financial
benefits.”

Type of supervision
Nearly all interviewees agreed that the type of supervision is significant and affects
turnover intention among employees in banks. In addition, the opinion also emerged that
the situation is subject to the type of department. As in the banking sector in the UAE, all
departments have very standardised procedures; therefore, the type of supervision
matters. A supervisor who is rude or not appreciative and supportive of his or her staff
and subordinates affects turnover intention. One of the respondents (P01) said,
168 H. Alqubati et al.

“It depends on the department that the employee works in. For instance, banks
generally have similar procedures and standards in small to medium business
divisions. Therefore, supervision is nearly identical in all banks at these
departments. However, for example, supervision does affect employee turnover
such as supervising tellers. To answer your question, yes, supervision does
cause employees to leave the bank as in the case I mentioned.”
Another respondent (P06) argued, “Of course, especially if your senior, sorry for the
word, is mean and trying to take all the credit for the work that you do.”

Responsibility and accountability in bank job

In response to the question proffered regarding the degree of responsibility and
accountability in the banking sector, all interviewees agreed that jobs and positions
related to the handling of money and cash put much responsibility and accountability on
the employee. However, other bank jobs such as receptionist do not have as much
accountability or responsibilities. The dominant opinion emerging from the interviewees’
answers is that the responsibility is considered excessively high by certain employees.
For example, one of the arguments provided by a respondent (P06) was, “You know
working with money needs full attention and full responsibility. A single mistake in this
sector will cause big problems.” Another respondent (P12) argued, “Of course, working
in a bank demands precision, credibility, accuracy, which would lead to responsibility
and accountability.”

External job opportunities

The interviewees agreed that the main cause of turnover intention is external job
opportunities. From the interviews, it was also sensed that the respondents meant the
government job sector when they discussed external job opportunities. One response
from an interviewee (P29) was, “Sure, as they received packages that are better with less
responsibility.” Furthermore, a comment of another interviewee (P21) was, “Yes, I would
say that this is the main cause of high turnover in the banking sector.”

Type of jobs (government or semi-government) and other benefits

Here the opinions were divided into three major categories; approximately 50% of the
interviewees asserted that government and semi-government sector jobs were sufficiently
attractive to encourage them to leave the banking sector. One respondent (P22) said, “As
I mentioned previously, the government offers salaries almost 100% more.” Another
(P06) one said, “Mainly government opportunities, because the government sector gives
two weekend days off and more public holidays plus the difference in financial benefits.”
Approximately 40% asserted that they are seeking job opportunities that offer high
salaries and higher financial benefits, which include subsidies on utility bills, children’s
education, housing allowances, and after-service retirement plans and pension. The
remaining 10% suggested work conditions, which may include the nature of the job and
the difficulty, technical proficiency and responsibility associated with the job, the number
of working hours, and public-sector holidays had an impact on turnover intention. In
addition, the interviewees focused on the position of the job in terms of the scope and
prestige.
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 169

Career growth
More than 80% of the interviewees announced that the promotion and career growth
policy in the banking sector does not reflect the aspirations of the employees. A few of
the interviewees dissented with the notion that promotion and career growth prospects for
locals are tremendous, as most were working at the front desk. According to the
respondents, working at the front desks provides growth opportunities due to direct
contact with personnel in managerial positions in the banks. One respondent (P06)
commented, “Not mainly, in banks, the number of locals is very small or minor, and they
are at front desks, and this one gives them higher and bigger opportunities to be in higher
positions with big career growth especially if you have a big Tawteen5 program in the
bank. Okay, and if they stay and have enough training, they will be easily promoted.”

Utilisation of skills
More than 80% of the interviewees asserted that the banks utilise their skills and
qualification to the maximum. The interviewees argued that, on holidays, they are
obligated to check their official e-mail accounts to remain in touch with the senior
management. One of the respondents (P01) argued,
“Hhhh, in my bank specifically, there is an annual budget allocated for the
training and career development of our employees. To provide more insight,
the allocated budget is among the highest in the banking sector. Once employee
capability is within the accepted level, and we ensure that the training has
created sufficient confidence in the employee, we release him into the real
business world and expect high performance from him.”
The employees are provided skill-based training; then they are sent into the market.
However, 15% of the interviewees argued that the banks are not fully utilising their skills.

After service benefits

When a direct question on job satisfaction was asked, it was asserted that salary and
financial benefits, including after-service benefits, are the most important factors
affecting his or her degree of job satisfaction. One comment (P06) asserted, “Simply, as I
said first, mainly increasing the financial benefits. Second, making the public holidays
the same as the government sector, as well as the weekend. If they have five working
days and two days off every week, this will increase employee satisfaction.” Another
response (P13) was: “Mainly increasing salaries and all other related financial benefits,
job security, children’s free education, and a better pension plan.” The popular
benchmark for the financial and other benefits in the banking sector among the
interviewees is the government sector job benefits. One of the respondents (P17) argued,
“Increasing salary, promotions, flexible working hours, rewards, reducing working hours,
reducing workloads, and job security.” The second most important consideration for job
satisfaction is career development and the number of working days and hours.

Competition in banking sector and job pressure

When asked about the competition in the banking sector and the pressure it puts on
employees, all except two (P26, P30) of the 30 interviewees agreed that stronger
170 H. Alqubati et al.

competition in the banking sector in the UAE has put higher pressure on the employees
The response of one interviewee (P22) was: “Yes, tremendous pressure on employees
because banks are always competing with each other and this causes higher pressure on
the employees.” However, one respondent (P30) did not agree with statements regarding
pressure put on banking employees. “No there is no pressure on the bank employees as
long as the management can manage their employees to reach their target smoothly
through proper established plans.”

Ethnic diversity
More than half of the respondents confirmed that working with expatriates is a source of
positive diversification and not a cause of turnover intention among employees who are
UAE nationals. The argument of one respondent (P12) was, “(working with expatriates)
will not necessarily lead to turnover intention among Emirati bankers. On the contrary,
that would probably lead to bringing new ideas into the workplace.” However, slightly
less than half of the respondents agreed that expats occupying managerial positions never
show interest in the career development and growth of UAE nationals because of an
inherent fear of being replaced or removed from the job once a replacement is available.
Another respondent (06) presented the opinion:
“Some nationalities try not to train the (Emirati nationals) locals, especially if
they are occupying senior positions. They try to damage the reputation and
image by saying that Emiratis don’t really work and are only interested in
getting the salary. These employees actually want to keep their positions and
disgrace the Emiratis so that they are not promoted to replace them, working
with expats causes turnover intention among UAE nationals in the banking
sector.”
This argument is reflecting, albeit in a limited manner, that the diversification at
workplace may be a cause of turnover intention among Emirati bankers. Another
respondent (P16) argued, “Yes, let me express my opinion in all transparency. Some
expats are not working with the locals as a team so as not to lose their jobs.” These
arguments have minimal weight in the overall qualitative data, and the author could not
find studies performed on Emirati relations with expatriate supervisors. However,
Abdelrahman et al. (2012) has surveyed and analysed the job satisfaction among
expatriate managers and Arab managers in a gulf context. Expatriate employees have
shown less satisfaction with their Arab supervisors.

4 Discussion

A total of four models were empirically estimated using the OLS regression technique,
one each on job satisfaction and organisational commitment and two on turnover
intention. The most dominant factor significantly affecting job satisfaction is after-service
benefits such as pension and other retirement benefits. Other variables significantly
affecting job satisfaction were job feedback, scope of the job, freedom on the job, and
financial benefits. Four variables were regressed on the organisational commitment:
leader-employee association, financial benefits, career growth, and after-service plans.
The most important variable is leader-employee association, followed by financial
benefits, career growth prospects, and after-service benefits.
 Influence of job dissatisfaction on recent raise of employee turnover intention 171

Two models on turnover intention were estimated. Turnover model 1 regresses

turnover intention on peer-to-peer (P2P) relationship, financial benefits, career growth,
after-service plans, leader-employee relationship, and cost of quitting the job. The most
important factor affecting turnover intention is cost of quitting, followed by after-service
financial benefits. The second model of turnover intention includes job satisfaction,
organisational commitment, gender, and experience as independent variables. Here, job
satisfaction plays a significantly more important role in turnover intention than
organisational commitment. Males have higher turnover intention than females, and more
experience leads to lower turnover intention.
Qualitative analysis is based on the 30 interviews conducted by the researcher with
bank employees who are UAE nationals. In addition to other responses, the overall
analysis identifies that the most important factors affecting job satisfaction and turnover
intention are salary and financial benefits, including after-service benefits, which
conform to our quantitative analysis.
The paper concludes with the results of the quantitative analysis matching those of
the qualitative analysis on the key point where job satisfaction is affected by financial
benefits and after-service benefits such as pension and retirement plan in addition to other
factors. The paper summarises the arguments from the qualitative and quantitative
analysis, as follows. In the case of financial benefits, retirement and pension plans,
peer-to-peer and leader-employee relationships, and career growth, the qualitative study
reinforces the quantitative results. In the quantitative study, cost of leaving was the most
important factor affecting turnover intention, while the qualitative results indicated
external opportunities in the government sector impact turnover intention. Furthermore,
ethnic diversity in the workplace may be a factor of substantial importance as indicated in
the qualitative study. Workers’ diversity has not been used specifically in the quantitative
study, and only the peer-to-peer relationship in the workplace was considered.
The results of the study are in accordance with the reviewed quantitative studies such
as O’Halloran (2012) and Forrier and Luc (2003) and qualitative studies such as Nienaber
and Masibigiri (2012) and Arokiasamy (2013).

5 Conclusions

The study applied the mixed methods approach to investigate the statistical link between
turnover intention and its determinants, organisational commitment and job satisfaction
among UAE nationals in the UAE banking sector. Quantitative analysis findings suggest
that cost of quitting the job, financial benefits and after-service benefits, such as pension
and other retirement benefits, are the most dominant factors significantly affecting
turnover intention (models 1, 2 and 3). Estimates of model 4 suggest that males have a
higher turnover intention than females, and more experience leads to lower turnover
intention.
The qualitative thematic analysis of data collected through interviews endorsed the
empirical results. Furthermore, the results suggested that government job financial
benefits, workload and work pressure are the key source of attraction for bank employees
to quit the job. Partly, the attraction to join the government sector is because the
interviewees associate prestige (as a cultural attribute) to the government job. Primarily,
172 H. Alqubati et al.

the reviewed literature has applied the monomethod of analysis, and findings of the study
are in accordance with them regarding the determinants of the turnover intention.

6 Limitations

The present paper is small research component of the PhD dissertation on the turnover
intention among Emarati Bankers in UAE. Despite its novelty, it has certain limitations
which are given as under:
1 The study has taken a small sample of respondents for quantitative and qualitative
data. However, the small size of sample does not affect the overall findings and
analysis of the study because of the assumption of cultural homogeneity across the
Emarati population. Future studies may perform analysis using bigger sample size
for qualitative and quantitative analysis.
2 Cultural diversity of employees (for, e.g., between Emarati and expatriate workers)
at the workplace may be an interesting component of future research. Present study
has only slightly touched it without digging out the details.
3 The role of prestige as an important factor impacting the choice of jobs by Emaratis
may also be a future potential research area and future researchers may be invited to
investigate this role as a social phenomenon, HR and organisational challenge.
4 Another limitation is that the sample is drawn from Emaratis working in seven
branches of three main banks in Abu Dhabi and Dubai only.
Despite these limitations and suggestions for future research area, present study has
contributed significantly in the area of HR and organisational strategic decision making
to retain talent at lowest possible cost.

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Notes
1 Using probit model and panel data.
2 The names of the banks and branches are not disclosed subject to the privacy law.
3 During the survey, it was identified that financial benefits are assessed in relation to financial
benefits in government sector jobs.
4 Monetary and non-monetary costs such as time for obtaining a new job.
5 Tawteen is a nationwide program launched by The Ministry of Human Resources and
Emiratisation (the MOHRE) to encourage the employment of UAE nationals within specified
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176 H. Alqubati et al.
Appendix
Table A1 List of open-ended questions for qualitative data collection
1 Will a progressive increase in financial
benefits while on the job lead to the
employee staying longer with the bank?
2 What level of annual financial increase
would secure that tenure?
3 Does the kind of supervision at the
workplace cause some employees to leave
the bank?
4 Does working at the bank demand
responsibility and accountability from the
employee?
5 Is such responsibility considered too much
by some employees?
6 Are external employment opportunities
the main cause of high turnover in the
banking sector?
7 What kinds of opportunities are these?
8 Is the absence of career growth,
management development, and
promotion in banks one of the causes of
employee turnover?
9 Are the banks utilising the skills and
capabilities of the employees at their
maximum?
10 What other things could the bank do to
improve the level of job satisfaction?
11 Does greater competition in the banking
sector cause higher pressure on the
employees?
12 Do workers’ diversity (ethnic
diversification such as expats working
with nationals) cause employee turnover
in the banking sector?