Fostering Talent Retention Through Positive Work-Life Interactions: The Relationships Among Emotional Intelligence,Work-Life Enrichment,Affective Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intentions
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2025
Fostering Talent Retention Through Positive Work-Life Interactions: The Relationships Among Emotional Intelligence,Work-Life Enrichment,Affective Organizational Commitment and Turnover Intentions
The aims of the present study are twofold: (a) to develop and validate a multidimensional and bidirectional instrument to measure work-life enrichment (the MSW-LE), and (b) to examine the role of an emotional personal resource (i.e., emotional intelligence) in the relationships among work-life enrichment, affective organizational commitment and turnover intentions. This two-stage study is conducted using two independent samples of 280 and 231 Argentinian employees across diverse occupations and industries. Findings show that the MSW-LE exhibits adequate psychometric properties in terms of internal consistency, dimensionality, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The results from the mediation analysis reveal that the hypothesized model provides an adequate fit to the data, χ2 (df = 29, N = 196) = 41.71, p > .05, CFI = .982, GFI = .960, TLI = .972, RMSEA = .047. Moreover, hypothesis testing demonstrates that the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions is sequentially mediated by work-life enrichment and affective organizational commitment. Taken together, the results indicate that emotional intelligence may activate emotional mechanisms that facilitate resource accumulation by fostering positive experiences of work-life enrichment and affective organizational commitment, which reduce employees’ intentions to leave the organization. Thus, organizations may find that offering work-life enriching opportunities is an effective strategy for improving work experiences, retaining their most valuable employees, and lowering costs associated with turnover.
AboobakerN.EdwardM. (2020). Collective influence of work–family conflict and work-family enrichment on turnover intention: Exploring the moderating effects of individual differences. Global Business Review, 21(5), 1218–1231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0972150919857015
ArraigadaM.Pujol-ColsL.DabosG. (2023). Enriquecimiento trabajo-vida: una revisión de la literatura desde la perspectiva individual. Estudios Gerenciales, 39(166), 124–139. https://doi.org/10.18046/j.estger.2023.166.5517
5.
AshkanasyN.DorrisA. D. (2017). Emotions in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 67–90. https://10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113231
6.
BagozziR.EdwardsJ. (1998). A general approach for representing constructs in organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 1(1), 45–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/109442819800100104
7.
Bar-OnR. (1997). The emotional quotient inventory (EQ-i): Technical manual. Multi-Health Systems, Inc.
8.
BeckerT.AtincG.BreaughJ.CarlsonK.EdwardsJ.SpectorP. (2016). Statistical control in correlational studies: 10 essential recommendations for organizational researchers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(2), 157–167. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2053
9.
BelwalS.BelwalR. (2023). Work-family conflict and women’s turnover intention: Mediating effects of organizational commitment. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(4), 1915–1937. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-023-10168-x
10.
BollenK. (1989). A new incremental fit index for general structural equation models. Sociological Methods & Research, 17(3), 303–316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0049124189017003004
11.
BoyatzisR. (2018). The behavioral level of emotional intelligence and its measurement. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1438. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01438
12.
BrislinR. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written materials. In TriandisEn H. C.BerryJ. W. (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology, vol. 2: Methodology (pp. 389–444). Allyn & Bacon.
13.
CarlsonD.KacmarK.WayneJ.GrzywaczJ. (2006). Measuring the positive side of the work–family interface: Development and validation of a work–family enrichment scale. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68(2006), 131–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2005.02.002
14.
CarlsonD.KacmarK.ZivnuskaS.FergusonM.WhittenD. (2011). Work-family enrichment and job performance: A constructive replication of affective events theory. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 16(3), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022880
15.
ChambersE.FoulonM.Handfield-JonesH.HankinS.MichaelsI. I. I. E. (1998). The war for talent. McKinsey Quarterly, 3(3), 44–47.
DemeroutiE.PeetersM.van der HeijdenB. (2012). Work–family interface from a life and career stage perspective: The role of demands and resources. International Journal of Psychology: Journal International de Psychologie, 47(4), 241–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.699055
Extremera PachecoN.ReyL.Sánchez-ÁlvarezN. (2019). Validation of the Spanish version of the Wong Law emotional intelligence scale (WLEIS-S). Psicothema, 31(1), 94–100. https://doi.org/10.7334/psicothema2018.147
20.
FornellC.LarckerD. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
21.
FredricksonB. (2004). The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London - Series B: Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1367–1377. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2004.1512
22.
GautamD.GautamP. (2024). Occupational stress for employee turnover intention: Mediation effect of service climate and emotion regulation. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 16(2), 233–255. https://doi.org/10.1108/apjba-02-2021-0056
23.
GervasiD.FaldettaG.PellegriniM.MaleyJ. (2022). Reciprocity in organizational behavior studies: A systematic literature review of contents, types, and directions. European Management Journal, 40(3), 441–457. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2021.07.008
24.
GolemanD. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. Bantam Books.
25.
GreenhausJ.PowellG. (2006). When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment. Academy of Management Review, 31(1), 72–92. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.19379625
26.
HairJ.BlackW.BabinB.AndersonR. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective. Pearson Prentice Hall.
27.
HalbeslebenJ.NeveuJ.Paustian-UnderdahlS.WestmanM. (2014). Getting to the “COR”: Understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. Journal of Management, 40(5), 1334–1364. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130
28.
HeskiauR.McCarthyJ. (2020). A work–family enrichment intervention: Transferring resources across life domains. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(10), 1573–1585. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000833; (Advance online publication).
29.
HinshawA.AtwoodJ. (1984). Nursing staff turnover, stress, and satisfaction: Models, measures, and management. Annual Review of Nursing Research, 1(1), 133–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-40453-9_6
HomP.LeeT.ShawJ.HausknechtJ. (2017). One hundred years of employee turnover theory and research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(3), 375–388. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000103
32.
HumphreyR.MiaoC.SilardA. (2024). Work–family enrichment: Prospects for enhancing research. In AshkanasyN. M.TrothA. C.HumphreyR. H. (Eds.), Emotion in organizations (research on emotion in organizations) (Vol. 19, pp. 155–178). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/s1746-979120240000019008
33.
International Test Commission (2013). International Guidelines on Quality Control in Scoring, Test Analysis, and Reporting of Test Scores. https://www.intestcom.org
34.
JordanP.TrothA. (2019). Common method bias in applied settings: The dilemma of researching in organizations. Australian Journal of Management, 45(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896219871976
35.
JosephD.NewmanD. (2010). Emotional intelligence: An integrative meta-analysis and cascading model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(1), 54–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017286
KacmarK.AndrewsM.ValleM.TillmanC.CliftonC. (2020). The interactive effects of role overload and resilience on family-work enrichment and associated outcomes. The Journal of Social Psychology, 160(5), 688–701. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2020.1735985
38.
KidronA.Vinarski PeretzH. (2025). The relationship between work-family enrichment, trust and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work passion in hybrid vs on-site work. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/joepp-08-2024-0387
39.
Kyei-FrimpongM.Makafui AmetorwoA.Nyarko AduI.Owusu BoakyeK. (2024). Authentic leadership, empowering leadership and work-family enrichment: The role of supportive work-family culture within the hospitality industry. Journal of Quality Assurance in Hospitality & Tourism, 16(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/1528008x.2024.2338757
40.
LapierreL.LiY.KwanH.GreenhausJ.DiRenzoM.ShaoP. (2018). A meta-analysis of the antecedents of work-family enrichment. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 39(4), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2234
41.
LauliéL.Briceño-JiménezG.Henríquez-GómezG. (2023). Exploring self-regulation theory as a mechanism of the effects of psychological contract fulfillment: The role of emotional intelligence. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1090094. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1090094
42.
Lazzaro-SalazarM. (2018). Researchers as brokers: Reflections from a study of migrant physicians in Chile. The Social Science Journal, 56(4), 609–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2018.09.006
MagnanoP.SantisiG.PlataniaS. (2017). Emotional intelligence as mediator between burnout and organisational outcomes. International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 8(4), 305. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijwoe.2017.089295
45.
MarksS. (1977). Multiple roles and role strain: Some notes on human energy, time and commitment. American Sociological Review, 42(6), 921–936. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094577
46.
Martínez-SanchezA.Perez-PerezM.Vela-JimenezM.-J.Abella-GarcesS. (2018). Job satisfaction and work–family policies through work-family enrichment. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 33(4/5), 386–402. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-10-2017-0376
47.
MateusA. (2022). Talent management, home office and digital communication. Past, present… what post-COVID-19 future?International Humanities Review, 11(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.37819/revhuman.v14i4.1249
48.
MayerJ.SaloveyP. (1997). What is emotional intelligence? In SaloveyP.SluyterD. (Eds.), Emotional development and emotional intelligence: Implications for educators (pp. 3–31). Basic Books.
49.
McNallL.TombariJ.BrownM. (2021). Exploring how mindfulness links to work outcomes: Positive affectivity and work-life enrichment. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 16(1), 167–182. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-019-09762-9
50.
MeyerJ.AllenN. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-z
51.
MeyerJ.AllenN.SmithC. (1993). Commitment to organizations and occupations: Extension and test of a three-component conceptualization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(4), 538–551. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.78.4.538
52.
MiaoC.HumphreyR.QianS. (2020). The cross‐cultural moderators of the influence of emotional intelligence on organizational citizenship behavior and counterproductive work behavior. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 31(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21385
53.
MudionoQamariI.TjahjonoH. (2021). The meaning of work life enrichment and its impact on turnover intention. International Journal of Innovative Research and Scientific Studies, 4(4), 258–268. https://doi.org/10.53894/ijirss.v4i4.268
54.
MustafaM.VinsentC.BadriS. (2023). Emotional intelligence, organizational justice and work outcomes. Organization Management Journal, 20(1), 30–42. https://doi.org/10.1108/omj-08-2021-1322
Peláez-FernándezM.Mérida-LópezS.Sánchez-ÁlvarezN.ExtremeraN. (2021). Managing teachers’ job attitudes: The potential benefits of being a happy and emotional intelligent teacher. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 661151. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661151
57.
PirsoulT.ParmentierM.SovetL.NilsF. (2023). Emotional intelligence and career-related outcomes: A meta-analysis. Human Resource Management Review, 33(3), 100967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2023.100967
58.
PodsakoffP.MacKenzieS.LeeJ.PodsakoffN. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 879–903. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879
59.
PowellG.GreenhausJ.AllenT.JohnsonR. (2019). Advancing and expanding work-life theory from multiple perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 44(1), 54–71. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2018.0310
60.
PremchandranR.PriyadarshiP. (2020). Work-family enrichment: Evidence from India on source attribution. International Journal of Manpower, 41(8), 1269–1285. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-07-2018-0235
61.
Pujol-ColsL. (2021). Development and validation of the Spanish work-family conflict scale (SP-WFCS): Evidence from two independent samples in Argentina. Current Psychology, 40(9), 4189–4204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00544-y
62.
Pujol-ColsL. J. (2024). On the positive side of work-family interaction: Development and validation of the Short Work-Family Enrichment Scale (SP-WFES-6) in Argentina. Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 33(1), 11–26. https://doi.org/10.15446/rcp.v33n1.101801
ShockleyK.SinglaN. (2011). Reconsidering work—family interactions and satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 37(3), 861–886. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310394864
65.
SieberS. (1974). Toward a theory of role accumulation. American Sociological Review, 39(4), 567–578. https://doi.org/10.2307/2094422
66.
TaheriF. (2021). Family-supportive organizational environment and turnover intention. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 70(8), 2113–2130. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-10-2019-0467
67.
TanK.-L.SimA.DonohueT. (2022). To predict and to explain: A multigroup analysis of gender on job and family satisfaction among hospitality employees. Gender in Management: International Journal, 37(7), 891–911. https://doi.org/10.1108/gm-06-2021-0173
68.
TessemaM.TesfomG.FairclothM.TesfagiorgisM.TeckleP. (2022). The “great resignation”: Causes, consequences, and creative HR management strategies. Journal of Human Resource and Sustainability Studies, 10(1), 161–178. https://doi.org/10.4236/jhrss.2022.101011
69.
TettR.MeyerJ. (1993). Job satisfaction, organizational commitment, turnover intention, and turnover: path analysis based on meta-analytic findings.Personnel Psychology, 46, 259–293.
70.
WangC.LinY.ChenI.WangC.PetersK.LinS. (2023). Mediating effect of job performance between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions among hospital nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A path analysis. Collegian, 30(2), 247–253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2022.09.006
71.
WangP.SteedL.WangZ. (2025). Trickle-down effects of supervisors’ family-to-work enrichment and conflict: The roles of supervisor support and dyadic similarity. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/joepp-12-2023-0567
72.
WayneJ.VaziriH.CasperW. (2021). Work-nonwork balance: Development and validation of a global and multidimensional measure. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 127, 103565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2021.103565
WongC.LawK. (2002). The effects of leader and follower emotional intelligence on performance and attitude: An exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(3), 243–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1048-9843(02)00099-1
75.
World Medical Association. (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191–2194. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053
76.
XieC.LiX.ZengY.HuX. (2021). Mindfulness, emotional intelligence and occupational burnout in intensive care nurses: A mediating effect model.Journal of nursing management, 29(3), 535–542. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13193
77.
ZhangY.XuS.JinJ.FordM. (2018). The within and cross-domain effects of work-family enrichment: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 210–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.11.003
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
