An explorative study on intrinsic factors influencing decision-making and turnover intention with gender as moderating factor among call center employees in Malaysia

This study investigates intrinsic factors affecting employee turnover intention in Malaysian call centers, focusing on managerial empowerment, career growth, organizational commitment, and rewards management, with gender as a moderating factor. Drawing on Daniel Pink's motivation theory, which emphasizes autonomy, mastery, and purpose, the study explores how these intrinsic motivators impact employees’ decisions. A quantitative, cross-sectional approach was employed, gathering data via a web-based questionnaire distributed to 320 executive and management-level respondents using convenience sampling. Smart PLS 4 was used to analyze the relationships between variables, yielding key findings. Managerial Behavioral Empowerment (H1) significantly reduced turnover intention (β = -0.426, t = 4.151, p = 0.047), indicating that empowered employees are less inclined to leave, aligning with the importance of autonomy and purpose in retention. Contrary to expectations, Career Growth Opportunities (H2) did not significantly influence turnover intention (β = 0.079, t = 0.673, p = 0.001), raising questions about career development’s perceived value in call centers. Organizational Commitment (H3) negatively impacted turnover intention (β = -0.382, t = 2.222, p = 0.025), emphasizing that committed employees are less likely to leave, consistent with Pink’s purpose-driven motivation. Rewards Management (H4) also had a significant negative effect (β = -0.382, t = 2.311, p = 0.046), highlighting the importance of fair compensation in reducing turnover. Gender (H5) moderated these relationships (β = -0.094, t = 2.587, p = 0.042), indicating gender differences in responses to organizational policies. Findings highlight the roles of managerial empowerment, organizational commitment, and rewards management in reducing turnover, suggesting that organizations should prioritize these areas while also considering gender-specific retention strategies. Additionally, the non-significant impact of career growth suggests a need to better align development opportunities with employee expectations. These insights contribute to turnover theory and offer practical guidance for designing targeted, intrinsic-motivator-based retention interventions.