The Public Hospital Exodus: Unraveling the Interplay of Turnover Intentions and Organizational Politics

In the healthcare industry, high employee turnover rates pose significant challenges for organizations, individuals’ well-being, and delivering high-quality patient care. Moreover, turnover exacerbates the burden on employees to exceed their agreed-upon work hours, resulting in oversights and a decline in the morale of the remaining personnel. Drawing on the theories of planned behavior and social exchange theory, this study aimed to examine the influence of organizational politics on turnover intentions while considering the mediating role of psychological safety and work engagement in this process. A convenience sampling strategy was utilized to collect data from 350 employees in public hospitals in Ghana. Using SMART-PLS 4 in structural equation modeling to analyze the data obtained from the Ghana public hospital, this study identified organizational politics’ significant and positive influence on turnover intentions, psychological safety, and work engagement. This study further identified a significant positive relationship between psychological safety and turnover intentions. However, the study revealed a significant but negative relationship between work engagement and turnover intentions. The study also found a significant partial mediation role of psychological safety and work engagement in the relationship between organizational politics and turnover intentions. Establishing norms centered on trust, transparency, and employee involvement, alongside innovative initiatives, is pivotal in curbing organizational politics, fostering staff commitment, and retaining talent within public hospitals.