Backgroundtotheresearchandresearchproblem
Intherecentdecades,theconceptofemployeeturnoverintentionhasbeenfurtherbecomingapop ularterminvariousstudiesondifferentmanagerialdisciplines;thus,promptingm o r e executives/ managersi n manydifferentb u s i n e s s fields(e.g.salesinserviceindustry)t o a p p l y thisconceptf ortheir employeemanagement(Tett& Meyer,1 99 3; Lee& C h o n , 2000).LeeandC h o n (2000)i d e n t i f y j o b t u r n o v e r intentionask e y consideredmanagementtermf o r successfulcareersandbusine sssurvivalatalllevelinserviceindustryfor21 stcentury Therefore,organizationsintheserviceindustry shouldgiveatrytoimprovetheirpeoplework-l i f e andtakeadvantagesof theseemotionalbalancetocreatebeneficialoutcomes.
The service industry is characterized by the interaction between service providers (employees) and service acceptors (customers), making employees an integral part of the service product A positive work-life balance enhances employees' emotional responses to customer expectations, which helps shape the organization's image Successful service organizations prioritize understanding their employees' feelings and addressing any issues that may affect their well-being Traditional hierarchical management may not effectively address the emotional challenges faced by employees, especially under high workloads and stress Therefore, it is essential for organizations to foster a working environment built on trust, understanding, and encouragement.
InthetrendoftransitioninganddevelopingVietnam’seconomy,servicesectorisidentified asoneofthelargestsectorsintheeconomyandoneofthebiggestcontributorstotheoverallgrowthrate. AccordingtothegeneralstatisticsofficeofVietnam,thegrowthrateoftheserviceindustryi s 6.56%/ yearandtheeconomicstructurehasbeenadjustedtothebetterdirectionthattheservicessectorcontin uedtocontributethelargestportiontotheGDPincreasingfrom4 1 7 % o f 2 0 1 2 t o 4 3 3 1 % i n 201 3.Furthermore,i t i s saidt h a t Services e c t o r playsasignificantroleintheeconomicdevelopmentofHo
In 2013, it was highlighted that the service domain must deliver exceptional customer service, which is dependent on a quality workforce However, the International Labor Organization (2015) reported that Vietnam has the lowest labor productivity among ASEAN countries, attributed to a low-skilled labor force and high job turnover rates They projected that if current productivity growth rates continue, Vietnam will only catch up to the Philippines by 2038 and Thailand by 2069, lagging significantly behind other nations Furthermore, Vietnam's service workforce lacks the necessary experience, skills, and professionalism to provide high-quality services Research by Aslam et al (2011) identified that the service sector is facing labor shortages due to high turnover and poor employee performance, emphasizing the urgent need for improved human resource management within the industry.
The workforce in Vietnam's service industry is undergoing training to enhance skills and professionalism for delivering quality services However, the hierarchical and autocratic management styles prevalent in many organizations hinder understanding of employee turnover intentions Research highlights the importance of addressing job turnover to maintain competitiveness in a rapidly expanding market High turnover intention poses significant challenges in human resource management, leading to increased costs related to selection, recruitment, and training.
As employee turnover intention gains increased attention, numerous studies have identified key predictors such as employee stress, job satisfaction, and work-life balance Among these, emotional intelligence is a significant factor influencing turnover intention (Avey, Luthans & Jensen, 2009) Prior research has established that emotional intelligence profoundly impacts individuals' intentions to leave their jobs across various managerial levels, often leading to issues like lack of trust, work-family conflict, and work-related stress (O'Boyle et al., 2011) Furthermore, emotional states can shift rapidly in response to workplace challenges, making the management of employee emotional changes a critical concern for both employees and organizations in the service industry.
According to Gabčanová (2011), human resources are the most vital asset of any organization, with organizational development driven by people rather than technology or structure High-performing companies are often evaluated based on their human development index (Khan et al., 2014), making the retention of talented and knowledgeable employees a significant concern Reducing employee turnover is a practical solution to this issue (Aslam et al., 2011), as turnover incurs substantial financial costs and results in a loss of talent Given its profound impact on both organizational performance and employee morale, research emphasizes the importance of enhancing managers' understanding of the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intentions to effectively retain critical talent.
Uptonow,numerousstudieshavebeenconductedabouttheperceptionsofsubordinatesi n ter mo f emotionalintelligence,w o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionale x h a u s t i o n , andemployeeturnoverintentionandtheir significantmu tualrelationshipsin developedcountries(O'Boyleetal.,2011;Bande,Fernández-
Research on emotional intelligence and turnover intention in Vietnam is scarce, with few scholars addressing this issue within management contexts Existing studies often explore turnover intention in different settings and fail to measure the relationships between these concepts in a unified model This study aims to fill this gap by examining the mutual impact of emotional intelligence on work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, subsequently exploring its effect on the turnover intention of sales employees in Vietnam's service industry.
Researchobjectives
Theoverallobjectiveo f t h i s studyi s t o examinet h e r o l e o f emotionalintelligencei n work- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustion,andsubsequentlyinturnoverintentionofsalespeoplewh oareworking intheserviceindustryinHoChiMinhCity,Vietnam.Specifically,i t investigates:
Methodology
This research involved two phases: a qualitative study and a quantitative study The questionnaire was translated from English to Vietnamese, and in-depth interviews with six individuals were conducted during the qualitative phase to tailor the items to Vietnamese cultural nuances and enhance the official questionnaire In the quantitative phase, data was collected using a convenience sampling approach and a self-administered survey The data analysis utilized SPSS 16 and Amos 22 for model testing, while confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was employed to ensure reliability and validity Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then applied to test the hypothesized model.
Duet o t h e l i m i t a t i o n o f t i m e , t h i s researchi s thereforel i m i t e d t o V i e t n a m e s e salesemployeesw h o arew o r k i n g i n servicei n d u s t r y i n H o C h i M i n h City;s i n c e i t i s o n e o f t h e biggestcitiesi n V i e t n a m andm o s t o f servicecompaniescentralizehere.Respondent so f t h i s researchincludeemployeesinsalesdepartments.
Researchsignificance
Accordingtothemanagerialimplications,thisfindingprovidesboardofdirectorsadeepu n d e r s t a n d i n g aboutemployeeturnoveri n t e n t i o n t h a t i t significantlyimpact o n organization
’ssurvivalanddevelopment Therefore,resultsofthis studycanbeusedtodevelopmanagement strategiest o reduceth e turnoverra te andm a x i m u m performanceandj o b satisfactiont o retaint h e i r valuable andexperiencedemployees.
Thiss t u d y alsoc o n t r i b u t e t h e o r y t o t h e a c a d e m i c field.T h i s i s a uniquest udyt h a t discovera r e l a t i o n s h i p betweenemotionalintelligenceandt u r n o v e r intentioni n t h e caseo f Vietnameseemployees.A s a result,t h e saleandeducationalfieldi s expectedt o expandthe literature.
Researchstructure
This thesis is structured into five chapters, beginning with an introduction that outlines the current state of the service industry in Vietnam and explores the interplay between emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and employee turnover intention It establishes the research problem, objectives, and significance, along with the scope and methodology of the study The second chapter reviews and synthesizes relevant theories on emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention, presenting a conceptual model and hypotheses based on the literature The third chapter details the research methodology employed to empirically test the proposed model Chapter four presents and analyzes the results of the data analysis in relation to the research questions and hypotheses Finally, the last chapter concludes with a discussion of the research hypotheses and problems, offers implications for theory, policy, and practice based on the findings, and identifies limitations for future research.
Thischapterpresentsrelevantliteratureabouttheresearch,whichareconductedbymanyscholar academicandarerelatedtoallresearchconceptsandresearchmodel.Firstly,researcherdescribest h e c onceptso f emotionalintelligence,w o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionalexhaustion,andturnoverintention.Then,itreviewsthepreviousresearch oftheseconceptsandtherelatedd i s c u s s i o n ofthechosensubject.Finally,basedonthefore goingreviewandpreviousresearch,t h i s sectiondeclaresthehypothesesof thisstudy.
Turnoverintention
Ithasbeenestablishedthatemployeeturnoverintentionisoneofstrongestfactorprojectingact ualturnover(Knudsenetal.,2008).Turnoverintentionisdefinedwhenani n d i v i d u a l intentst o leavet h e i r organization( T e t t & Meyer,1 9 9 3 ; Khanetal.,2014).Iti s i n e v i t a b l e thattur noveroccursineveryorganizationinwhichsomeofemployeesarevoluntaryt o leavetheorganizati onwhileothersaredischargedbyorganization.Eithervoluntaryori n v o l u n t a r y t u r n o v e r cr eatesseriousconsequencest o organizationi n today’sbusinessworldi n c l u d i n g anumberofd ifficultiesonreplacement,recruitment,selection,socializationcostetc.
(Khanetal.,2014;Saeedetal.,2014).Tobemoredetailed,there’sanunavoidabledisruptioninp r o d u c t i v i t y whenanexperiencedemployeel e a v e t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n Otheremployeesh a v e t o p u l l offtheirjobtoreplacethispositionwhilethecompanyfindsqualitycandidates.Whenthec o m p a n y doesrecruitanewemployees,thatpersonneedtobetrainedweeksormonthsbeforep r o d u c i n g attheleveloftheformeremployee(Huselid,1995).
According to Dess and Shaw (2001), employee turnover is categorized into two types: voluntary and involuntary turnover Voluntary turnover occurs when employees are dissatisfied with their jobs and seek employment elsewhere, reflecting their intention to leave the organization In contrast, involuntary turnover happens when employees are terminated by the organization High turnover rates can be detrimental to organizations due to the increased recruitment costs; however, it is essential to recognize that not all turnover is negative While poor-performing employees may need to be replaced to enhance labor productivity (Saeed et al., 2014), turnover can also bring about positive effects within the organization (Staw, 1980).
Measuringa c t u a l employeet u r n o v e r i s o n e o f t h e principalobjectivest h a t turno verresearchisexpectedtoreach,however,itisunabletobereachedemployeedata.Thisdataisnotc o r r e c t l y orconsistentlycollected,soitisunavailable.Consequently,employeeturnoverintentioni s u sedasa p r o x y foractualemployee.A s a result,o n e o f t h e n e x t bestm e t h o d t o measureactualtur noveristurnoverintention(Lambert,Hogan&Barton,2001;Knudsenetal.,2 0 0 8 ) Employeet u r
Emotionalintelligence
Emotionalintelligenceisfirstidentifiedastheconceptof“socialintelligence”toreferthea b i l i t y tou s e emotionsi n b o t h oneselfando t h e r s t o producebeneficialo u t c o m e s (Thorndike,1 9
Emotional intelligence, as defined by Salovey and Mayer (1990), is the subset of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, discriminate among them, and use this information to guide thinking and actions With growing interest in emotions, emotional intelligence has garnered significant attention from social and organizational psychologists Mayer and Salovey (1993) outlined four dimensions of emotional intelligence, starting with self-emotion appraisal, which relates to an individual's ability to understand and appropriately express their emotions, ultimately applying this knowledge to achieve beneficial outcomes Notably, salespeople with high emotional intelligence are more effective in negotiations with customers and suppliers, highlighting the importance of emotional intelligence in enhancing customer satisfaction and driving sales performance within companies.
( 2 ) t h e o t h e r e m o t i o n s appraisalr e l a t i n g t o t h e a b i l i t y o f ani n d i v i d u a l t o observeandun derstandother’semotion.Apersonwhohavehighcapabilityinthisdimensionwillhavegoodobserveon otherpeople’semotionsandpredictother’semotionalreaction(Davies,Stankov&Roberts,1998); (3)theuseofemotionrelatingtotheabilityofanindividualtoaccess,generateandus e h i s o r he r em otiont o facilitatepersonalperformance.Peoplew h o rateh i g h l y int h i s a b i l i t y w i l l ablet o ret urnr a p i d l y t o normalpsychologicalstatesafters u f f e r i n g d e p r e s s e d o r upset;
( 4 ) t h e regulationo f emotionrelatingt o t h e a b i l i t y o f a persontoregulateh i s o r heremotiontoa chieveanexpectedoutcomeandabletoremainbalancefrompsychologicaldistresst o s o l v e problem(
M a y e r & Salovey,1 9 9 3 ; W o n g & Law,2002).Specifict o saless e c t i o n , a salespersonwithhigha bility inthisareawouldperformanceeffectively atenhancingcustomerenthusiasmandreducingc u s t o m e r frustration( K i d w e l l , Hardesty,M u r t h a & Sheng,2011).Therefore,theneedofu nderstandingemployeeemotionalintelligenceisstronglyconsideredint h i s study.
Work-familyconflict
The intersection of family care and paid work has been a significant focus of innovative research in the early 21st century, highlighting work-family conflict as a persistent public policy issue (Gao et al., 2013) Work-family conflict is characterized as an inter-role conflict where pressures from work and family are mutually incompatible (Greenhaus & Beutell, 1985) Researchers, including Kelloway et al (1999), have identified three types of work-family conflict: time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based Time-based conflict arises when time demands from one role limit the time available for another role, while strain-based conflict occurs when stress from one role negatively impacts performance in another Behavior-based conflict manifests when the behaviors required in one role clash with those expected in another Additionally, some researchers differentiate between two main types of conflict: work interfering with family and family interfering with work (Boyar et al., 2003) This study focuses on work interfering with family, as it is often more prevalent and closely linked to job satisfaction, exhaustion, and turnover (Bande et al., 2015).
The rising interest in work-family conflict has led to numerous studies examining its effects on job and life satisfaction, increased stress, decreased organizational commitment, and higher turnover intentions (Boyar et al., 2003; Allen & Armstrong, 2006) While work-family conflict can occur in any job, sales positions are particularly impacted, as salespersons experience more negative effects due to the nature of their roles Specifically, work-family conflict significantly reduces job satisfaction in the sales context compared to other fields (Boles, Dudley, Onyemah & Rouzie, 2012) Although organizations can contribute to work-family conflict, employees also have a responsibility to maintain their work-life balance (Bande et al., 2015) Ultimately, both organizations and their employees must work together to mitigate work-family conflict (Hammonds, 1996; Carmeli, 2003).
Emotionalexhaustion
Accordingt o M o o n andH u r ( 2 0 1 1 ) , emotionale x h a u s t i o n i s definedast h e awarenesst h a t emotionalresourcehasbeenfullyconsumed.Itisconsideredasthemaindimensionofthreedimensi onsi n MaslachandJ a c k s o n ’ s (1981)c l a s s i c m o d e l o f employeeburnout–
Emotional exhaustion, a key component of job burnout, is characterized by feelings of fatigue, lack of energy, and a depletion of emotional resources (Jackson, Schwab & Schuler, 1986; Moore, 2000) This state is often considered the initial stage of the burnout process (Gaines & Jermier, 1983) Research indicates that burnout can lead to severe consequences, including decreased service quality, reduced customer satisfaction, high job turnover, absenteeism, poor job performance, and low morale (Cropanzano et al., 2003; Grandey, 2003).
Relationshipamong variables
Emotionalintelligencea n d w o r k - f a m i l y c o n f l i c t areo n e o f fundamentalimportancet o manufactureo r g a n i z a t i o n s(Lenaghan,
B u d a & Eisner,2 0 0 7).Bothorganizationandi t s employeesarer e s p o n s i b l e f o r eliminating w o r k - f a m i l y conflict.Companieshavet h e i r o w n policiesandprocedurest o helpt h e i r staffmanages t r e s s , b u t t h e i r employeess t i l l b u r n t o u t Certainly,individualsholdsomeresponsibilityf orregulatingtheirownfamilybalance,buttheyneedorganizationals u p p o r t Organizationsneedt o r ecognizeanda d a p t employees’worka n d livesto winemployeeloyalty(Keith,ascitedinCarmeli,2003).
(1989)hasidentifiedi n d i v i d u a l differencesasresourcescausingthenegativeeffectsofstressful eventsonindividuals.Individualswhohavemorepersonalresourcescandealwiththelossofotherkinds ofresources,i n c l u d i n g resourcelosscausedbywork- familyconflict.“Emotionalintelligencerepresentsi n d i v i d u a l differencesintheabilityandca pacitytomonitorandrecognizeone’sownandother’semotionsandtousethisinformationtoregulateon e’semotionsandactions”(Gaoetal.,2013,p.223).
Withrespectt o t h e r o l e o f i n d i v i d u a l s , researchersh a v e e m p h a s i z e d emotiona lintelligencei s animportantfactori n protectingemployeesfromt h e b e g i n n i n g ofwo rk - f am il y conflictandstresstoidentify,acknowledgeandmanagetheemotions.Particularly,Sulimanan dAl-
Shaikh(2007)statedthatin termofconflictmanagement,employeesw i t h inflatedlevelofemotionali ntelligences e e m t o haveeffectivec o n t r o l w i t h conflict).Indeed,p e o p l e w i t h higha b i l i t y ofemotionalintelligenceseemtosufferlesswork-familyconflict(Lenaghanetal.,2007).Accordingly,it ishypothesizedthat:
H1: Emotionalintelligence hasanegativeimpact on work-familyconflict.
Ithass u g g e s t e d t h a t e m o t i o n a l intelligencee n a b l e i n d i v i d u a l s t o controlpressur ea n d adapteasilywiththechallengetoavoidtheburnout(Bar-
On,1997;Taylor,2001).Inrelationtoemotionalexhaustion,peoplewhohaveelevatedlevelsofem otionalintelligencedealingbetterw i t h life’schallengesa n d j o b stresses,whichl e a d s t o goodpsy chologicalandp h y s i c a lh e a l t h (Taylor,2 0 0 1 ) andm a k e s t h e m l e s s l i k e l y t o experienceemo tionale x h a u s t i o n (VanR o o y & Viswesvaran,2004;Moon&Hur,2011).The fourthdimensionofemotionalintelligenceenablesa persontoregulatetheiremotionquicklyandwor konemotiveinformationeffectively(Mayer
&Salovey,1993;Wong&Law,2002).Regardingtothismatter,emotionallyintelligent individualhelpssalespeoplechooseappropriateapproachestocopewithfrustrationandmakearespons emoreeffectivelyrelatingtotheemotionaspect.Employeeswithhighlevelsofemotionalintellige ncec a n keepa w a y f r o m dysfunctionalanda n g r y e m o t i o n s t h a t w o u l d b e consequenceon burnout(Carmeli,2003).Individualswithhighabilityofmanagingtheiremotionswould beless likelytoexperienceburnout.Therefore,itcouldbehypothesizedthat:
Impacto f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictwasstudiedandt h e findingsshowedt h a t w o r k - f a m i l y conflictwass t r o n g l y influencet o l o w e r j o b andf a m i l y satisfaction,greaterstressandhi gherturnoverintention(Aslametal.,2011).Experiencingwork- familyconflict,individualsaresubjecttoexhaustionthatleadtotheconsequenceofconflictbetweenw orkandfamilydomains,whichseemstoresultindrainingontheiremotionalandphysicalenergy(Gol den,2012;Bandeetal.,2015).Accordingt o Hobfoll(1988,1 9 8 9 ) i n h i s
C O R theory highlights that energy and time are vital resources individuals strive to maintain, protect, and create During recovery periods, when immediate resource needs are not pressing, people often focus on replenishing and stockpiling resources to mitigate future losses (Golden, 2012) Hobfoll (1989) noted that work-family conflict depletes an individual's energy and resources, hindering their ability to stockpile necessary resources for current and future demands Consequently, individuals facing high levels of work-family conflict experience greater exhaustion, as these conflicts prevent them from fulfilling both work and family obligations effectively.
(Bandeeta l , 2 0 1 5 ; Golden,2 0 1 2 ; Hobfoll,1989).Consequently,apositiverelationship isexpec tedbetweenwork-family conflictandemotionalexhaustion.
Over the past two decades, researchers have explored the relationship between work-family conflict and employee turnover intentions Some studies suggest that work-family conflict indirectly influences turnover by causing emotional exhaustion, which then leads to a desire to leave (Cropanzano et al., 2003) Conversely, other research indicates a direct correlation between work-family conflict and turnover intentions (Boyar et al., 2003) Greenhaus, Parasuraman, and Collins (2001) found that dissatisfaction with work and family life can prompt thoughts of withdrawal from the workplace When retention rates in an organization become too high, employees may choose to leave as a solution to their conflicts Allen and Armstrong (2006) noted that the demands of work can lead to frustration and strain, making it difficult for employees to fulfill family responsibilities, which in turn affects their focus on work tasks Similarly, Khan et al (2014) confirmed that work-family conflict significantly impacts employee retention, indicating that higher levels of conflict are likely associated with increased turnover intentions (Netemeyer & Boles).
&McMurrian,1996).Basedontheforegoingreviewandpreviousresearch,the hypothesis isproposed:
Manyresearchershaveexploredthatemotionalexhaustionhavebeenshowntobes t r o n g l y associatedw i t h turnoverintention( C r o p a n z a n o etal.,2 0 0 3 ; K n u d s e n etal.,2 0 0 8 ) Simil arly,accordingtoLayne,Hohenshil,andSingh(2004),turnoverintentioniscorrespondedw i t h stre ss.Employeeswithhighlevelofstressaremorelikelytoleavetheirorganizationand
Emotional exhaustion seekf o r a n o t h e r opportunity.Inaddition,e m o t i o n a l e x h a u s t i o n w i l l r e s u l t i n lowerr a t e s oforganizationalcommitmentandhigherratesofturnover andturnover intention(Jacksoneta l.,1 9 8 6 ; DeVries& Wilkerson,ascitedi n Khaneta l , 2 0 1 4 ; Layneetal.,2004).Employeeexpe riencingh i g h e r l e v e l o f emotionalexhaustionresulti n higherlevelo f turnoverintentions(Cropanza noetal.,2003).Theamountofburnouthasasignificantpositiveeffectonturnoverintentions(Moore,20 00).Therefore,thefollowingrelationship ishypothesized:
Conceptual model
H1: Emotionalintelligence hasanegativeimpact on work-familyconflict.
Insummary,thischapterpresentstheoreticalbackgroundofeachconceptinthemodel.Basedo ndiscussionofliteraturereview,emotionalintelligenceareaffectedbyfourdimensionsincluding:t heself- emotionsappraisal,theotheremotionsappraisal,theuseofemotion,andtheregulationofemotion.Th en,theinfluenceofemotionalintelligenceonwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustionandsubsequentlyo n turnoverintentionisalsoconsidered.Th erelationshipso f t h e s e factorsa l r e a d y t e s t e d bym a n y previousscholarsarereviewedf o r t h e conceptualmodel.Finally,fivehypothesesareproposedtofigureouttheresearchobjectivesi n c hapterwhich isstatedinthepreviousresearchinVietnamesecontext.Thenextchapterw i l l discussaboutmetho dologythatusedtoanalyzethedataandtesthypothesesoftheresearchm o d e l
This chapter outlines the research methodology and design employed in the current study, which investigates the relationships among emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention among sales employees in the service industry in Vietnam The research process integrates both qualitative and quantitative approaches, utilizing in-depth interviews for qualitative analysis to refine measurement tools For quantitative analysis, data is gathered to test the measurement and structural models Key topics discussed in this chapter include research design, research process, measurement scales, sampling, data collection, and data analysis methodology.
Researchdesign
Researchprocess
This research focuses on the service industry within Ho Chi Minh City and is structured into two phases: a qualitative study and a quantitative study The draft questionnaire, informed by a literature review and the Vietnamese context, includes four measurement scales assessing emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention Initially created in English, the questionnaire was translated into Vietnamese with assistance from English experts The qualitative phase involved in-depth interviews with six employees from the service industry, conducted over a week The researcher organized meetings in suitable locations, where each item of the measurement scale was read aloud to the interviewees, ensuring their understanding and clarifying any questions they had.
Literature Review Research Model & Hypotheses Research Problem
Structural Equation Modeling haveaskedthereasonsofmisunderstandingandaskedforthesuggestionsfromtheinterviewee.T h e i n-depthinterviewsfollowedbyonebyoneuntil theresearchergotnomoresuggestions.
Basedonthefeedbackofrespondents,thesurveyquestionnairewasslightlymodifiedtom a k e itclearerandmoreunderstandable(seeAppendixA,B,&C).Afterthequestionnairewasmodified,th e self- administratedquantitativesurvey withconveniencesampling wasconductedt o collectdatafortes tingtheresearch’shypotheses.
Participantsself-completeda s u r v e y with alli t e m s weremeasuredbyfive- pointLikertscale,anchorpointsfrom“stronglydisagree”(=1)to“stronglyagree”(=5).Thequesti onnairewasmainlydeliveredtorespondentsviaelectronicmailandhardcopies(seeTable3.1).SPSSandAMOSwere usedtotest themeasurementandstructuralmodels.
Measurementscales
Asm e n t i o n e d above,t h e finalquestionnairesconsistedo f f o u r measurementscales:e motionalintelligence,work-familyconflict,emotionalexhaustion,andturnoverintentions.
Emotionalintelligencescalewasusedf r o m t h e scaledevelopedbyW o n g andLaw(2002)a ndtheitemswereadaptedtoVietnamcontextbyeliminatingu n s u i t a b l e items.Itcompriseso f f o u r s u b c o m p o n e n t s : ( 1 ) appraisalandexpressiono f emotioni n t h e self; (2)appraisalandrecognitionofemotioninothers;(3)regulationofemotionintheself;
(4)useofemotiontofacilitateperformance.Appraisalandexpressionofemotionintheselfwasmeasure dbythreeitems,reflectingtheabilityofapersontounderstandhisorherdeepemotionsandtobeabletoexp ressemotionsnaturally.Appraisalandrecognitionofemotioninotherswasmeasuredbythreeitems,addr essingtheabilityofapersontoperceiveandunderstandtheemotionsofthepeoplearoundthem.Othert hreeitemswereusedtomeasureregulationofemotionintheselfinregulatingone’semotions,enablinga fasterrecoveryfrompsychologicaldistress.Useofemotiontofacilitateperformancewasmeasuredbyt hreeitems,reflectingthedegreetowhichani n d i v i d u a l canus e of hi s o r heremotionsbydirec tingthem towardconstructiveactivitiesandpersonalperformance.
(1996),wereusedtomeasurework-familyconflicttorealizetheformofinter- roleconflictinwhichther o l e pressuresfrom theworkandfamilydomains aremutuallyincompatiblein somerespect.Theitemswerea d a p t e d t o h e l p respondentst o u n d e r s t a n d byeliminatingu n s u i t a b l e itemsi n t h e qualitativeresearch.
ThescaleswereestablishedbyMaslachandJackson(1986),wereusedtoaccessemotional exhaustionwhichistheawarenessthatemotionalresourcehasbeenfullyconsumedwhenemploy eesareb o t h atworkandathome.S o m e itemswereeliminatedbecausetheyseemedtoodifficultforres pondentstounderstandortheywere alsoduplicatedbyotheritems.
EmoExhaus3 EmoExhau s4EmoExh aus5EmoE xhaus6
Turnoverintentionw a s measuredu s i n g f o u r - i t e m froma scaledevelopedbyW a l s h , AshfordandHill (1985).Theseitemswereusedto measuret heintentionto leavetheorganizationsofemployees.
4 IthinkIwill beworkingfor thiscenter5yearsfromnow.(reversecoded).
Thequantitativestudy
Samplinganddatacollection
This research was conducted in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing on salespeople from private organizations A self-administered survey was utilized, comprising four constructs and 26 variables, adhering to a minimum subject-to-item ratio of 5:1, as established by Hair et al (2006) Consequently, with 26 items, the minimum required sample size was 50 observations To achieve a sample size of 130, 350 questionnaires were distributed using a non-probability convenience sampling method Ultimately, 223 responses were collected, resulting in a response rate of approximately 64% However, 22 questionnaires were deemed invalid due to various reasons, leaving 201 valid responses for analysis, which satisfied the minimum sample size requirement.
Table 3.1Sourceofdatacollection Source Delivered Collected Response rate Eliminated Valid
Dataanalysisprocedure
The reliability and validity of the measurements were assessed using the CFA and SEM tests on the collected data SPSS 16 was utilized to calculate Cronbach’s alpha, while Amos 22 was employed for conducting CFA to evaluate the reliability of each measurement component separately and the validity of all scales The reliability among constructs was determined based on composite reliability (CR) within the research model The CFA results indicated that the average variance extracted (AVE) was used to establish convergent validity, and the correlation between items (r) was analyzed to determine discriminant validity To ensure the measurement quality, Cronbach’s alpha for each construct should be at least 0.6, as recommended by Nunnally & Bernstein (cited in Prajogo, 2007), with factor loadings of 0.5 or higher, and a minimum AVE value is also required.
0.5(Chong,Ooi,Lin&Tan,2010);andthecompositereliabilityshouldbeover0.7asrecommendedby
N u n n a l l y ( a s citedi n C h o n g eta l , 2010).Consideringt h e convergentanddiscriminatedvalidit y,t h e inappropriateitemsw o u l d b e r e m o v e d i f necessity.M o r e o v e r , t h e CFAwouldindicat ethemodelfitifCMIN/DFwaslessthan2withp- valuelargerthan5%,andt h e comparativefitindex(CFI)analyzedthemodel fitbyexaminingthediscrepancybetweenthedataandthehypothesizedmodel,whileadjustingtheissue sofsamplesizeinherenceinthechi- squaredtestofmodelfit,andthenormedfitindex.ACFIvalueof0.90orlargerwasgenerallyconside redtoindicateacceptablemodelfit.Thenon-normedfitindex(NNFI;alsoknownastheTucker- Lewisindex-
The TLI (Tucker-Lewis Index) addresses some issues related to negative bias, although NNFI (Non-Normed Fit Index) values can occasionally exceed the 0 to 1 range For both NFI and NNFI, values of 0.95 or higher indicate a good model fit The RMSEA (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation) effectively mitigates sample size issues by analyzing the discrepancy between the hypothesized model with optimally chosen parameter estimates and the population covariance matrix An RMSEA value of less than 8% signifies an acceptable model fit (Tho & Trang, 2008) Consequently, structural equation modeling plays a crucial role in assessing model fit and validity.
Asmentionedabove,fourmeasurementscalesweresufficientforconvergentanddiscrimin antvalidity,wereanalyzedbytheConfirmatoryfactoranalysisbeforethehypothesizedm o d e l wast estedbyS E M T h e f i r s t - o r d e r c o n s t r u c t s werew o r k - f a m i l y conflict,emotionale x h a u s t i o n andturnoverintention.Thesecond- orderconstructwereemotionalintelligence,whichconsistedoffoursub-components:self- emotionsappraisal,other-emotionsappraisal,useo f emotionsandself-regulations ofemotion.
Insummary,thischapterdescribedtheresearchprocess,measurementscaleconstruction,calcul ationo f samples i z e , andresearchm e t h o d conductedt o analyzet h e collecteddata.T h i s s t u d y w a s designedi n t o t w o stages:qualitatives t u d y ( i n - d e p t h interview),quantitativestudy(mainsurvey).Thein- depthinterviewwasconductedtomodifythemeasurementscaleandthequestionnairewasadjust edslightlyforthequantitativesurvey.Mainsurveyhadsamplesizeof2 0 1 validquestionnairesth atwereusedfordataanalysiswithCFAandSEM.Thenextchapterw i l l presentdataanalysisofmai nsurvey.
Chapter 4 presents the analysis results of sample size n=1, utilizing SPSS to review the sample's characteristics and descriptive statistics to test the normal distribution of variables based on respondents' demographics AMOS was employed for confirmatory factor analysis to assess the reliability and validity of the first-order constructs, the second-order construct, and the final measurement model Additionally, structural equation modeling was applied to test the conceptual framework The findings from the analysis are discussed in detail, providing a comprehensive explanation for the research outcomes.
Respondents’demographics
CFAforthefirst-orderconstructs
Work- familyconflictwasmeasuredby4items.ForthefirstrunofCFA,theCFAmodelo f work- familyc o n f l i c t f i t t e d t h e datawell(Chi-square/ df=0.023;P=0.977;CFI=1.000;TLI=1.016;NFI=1.000;RMSEA=0.000;PCLOSE=0.986).Additiona lly,t h e factorl o a d i n g o f itemstomeasurework- familyconflictweresignificantwith0.75forWorkfaC1,0.87forWorkfaC2,0.82forWorkfaC3and0.6 9forWorkfaC4(seefigure4.1andtable4.2).
Fort h e firstr u n o f C F A f o r emotionale x h a u s t i o n construct,standardizedregression weightsofE m o E x h a u s 2 , E m o E x h a u s 3 , EmoExhaus5andE m o E x h a u s 6 wereh i g h e r t h a n 0 5 (0.64,0.78,0.78,and0.77insequence).Althoughtheseestimatesfittedthedatawell,thefact orloadingso f E m o E x h a u s 1 andE m o E x h a u s 4 weren o t significant(0.015and0 0 0 6 < 0 5 )( s e e Table4.2).
Table 4.2 ThefirstrunofCFA(ofwork-familyconflict,emotionalexhaustionandturnover intention)
WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC1 0.75 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC2 0.87 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC3 0.82 WorkFamilyConflict WorkfaC4 0.69 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus1 0.015 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus2 0.64 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus3 0.78 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus4 0.006 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus5 0.78 EmoExhaustion EmoExhaus6 0.77 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI1 0.78 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI2 0.91 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI3 0.80 TurnOverIntention TurnoverI4 0.51
Afterr e m o v i n g insignificantitemEmoExhaus1andE m o E x h a u s 4 , t h e m o d e l o f e motionale x h a u s t i o n wasmeasuredbyf o u r items:EmoExhaus2,EmoExhaus3,EmoExhaus5andE m o E x h a u s 6 Figure4 2 displayedt h e r e s u l t o f CFAanalysisa n d t h e CFAm o d e l o f emotionalexhaustionforthesecondrunalsofittedthedatawell(Chi-square/ df=1.280;P=0.278;CFI=0.998;TLI=0.994;NFI=0.991;RMSEA=0.038;PCLOSE=0.438)
Fort h e firstr u n f o r CFAm o d e l o f t u r n o v e r intention,t h i s firstorderconstructwasm easuredbyfouritemsTurnoverI1,TurnoverI2,TurnoverI3andTurnoverI4.Thefindingsshowt h a t al lfactorloadingswerehigherthan0.5(0.78,0.91,0.80and0.51respectively)andtheCFAm o d e l alsof i t t e d t h e datawell( C h i - s q u a r e / d f = 0 57 2; P=.565;CFI=1.000;TLI=1.008;NFI=0.997;RMSEA=0.000;PCLOSE=0.699).
Foreachconstruct,theauthortestedthereliabilityandconvergentvaliditybycalculatingCronba ch’α,compositereliability(CR)andaveragedvarianceextracted(AVE)valuesbasedonitems’stan dardizedloadings.Cronbach’α,c o m p o s i t e r e l i a b i l i t y ofwork- familyc o n f l i c t , emotionalexhaustionandturnoverintentionwerehigherthan0.7(0.86and0.86;0 84and0.83;
Table 4.3SummarizedofCR,AVEandCronbach’α(firstorder constructs)
Notes:CR: compositereliability;AVE:averagedvariance extracted
Theaveragedvarianceextractedvalueofemotionalexhaustionwaslowerthan0.5initsfirstr unofCFA.However,this valuewashigher than0.5 inthe second runofCFAaftertheauthorel iminatedEmoExhaus1andEmoExhaus4.Thus,theAVEvalueofemotionalexhaustioni s acceptable.Additionally,AVEv a l u e s o f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictandt u r n o v e r intentionw e r e highert h a n 0 5 ( 0 6 1 a n d 0 5 7 respectively).
I n summary,t h e C F A m o d e l o f t h e f i r s t - o r d e r constructsincludingwork- familyconflict,emotionalexhaustionandturnoverintentionfittedthedatawell.All thedataanalysisof thesefirst-orderconstructsispresentedinTable4.3.
CFAforsecond-order constructs
Thesecond-orderconstructwasemotionalintelligence,whichconsistedo f f o u r sub- components:self-emotionsappraisal,o t h e r - e m o t i o n s appraisal,u s e ofemotionsands e l f - regulationsofemotion.ForthefirstrunofCFAmodel,thedatafittedthemodel(Chi- squarea.660;d f = 4 8 ; Chi-square/df=1.285;P=.089;CFI=.990;TLI=.986;N F I = 9 5 6 ; RMSEA=.038)andallo f t h e itemsh a d significantfactorloadings( > 0 5 )
Notes:CR: compositereliability;AVE:averagedvariance extracted
The reliability of emotional intelligence was confirmed, with Cronbach’s α and composite reliability (CR) values for all subcomponents exceeding 0.70 The convergent validity was also established, as the average variance extracted (AVE) values for the subcomponents were significant, surpassing 0.5 Although the correlations between each pair of subcomponents were below 0.8, a notable correlation of 0.76 between other-emotions appraisal and use of emotions indicates a need for further investigation To assess the discriminant validity of the scales measuring these two constructs, a chi-squared difference test was conducted comparing constrained and unconstrained models The results revealed that the unconstrained model, which treats the two sub-constructs separately, provided a better fit than the constrained model, where the correlation was restricted to 1.00 Specifically, constraining the correlation reduced the degrees of freedom from 49 to 48 and decreased the chi-square from 72.840 (constrained model) to 61.660 (unconstrained model), marking a significant reduction (p0.5,p0.977);CFI=1.000;TLI=1.016;RMSEA=0.000 0.86 0.61 Emotionalexhaustion:χ2[2]=2.561(P>0.278)CFI=0.998;TLI=0.994;RMSEA=0.038 0.83 0.55 Turnoverintention:χ2[2]=1.143(p>=.565);CFI=1.000;TLI=1.008;RMSEA=0.000 0.84 0.57
Note: r(SE):correlationswithstandarderrors;CR:compositereliability;AVE:averagedvarianceextracted
Discussion
Fromthestudytoexaminetheroleofemotionalintelligenceonwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustion,roleof work-familyconflict onemotionalexhaustionandsubsequentlytherolesofwork- familyconflictandemotionalexhaustiononturnoverintentionofemployeeswhoarew o r k i n g i n servicei n d u s t r y i n H o C h i M i n h City,t h e findingsshowt h a t t h e componentstructureo f emoti onalintelligencei s a second- orderstructure.T h i s resulti s consistentw i t h emotionalintelligenceconcepts(Wong&Law,2002), whichstatedthatemotionalintelligenceiscomposedo f f o u r s u b - c o m p o n e n t s : self- emotionsappraisal,other-emotionsappraisal,u s e ofemotionsandself-regulations ofemotion.
Regardingt h i s finding,i n ordert o e x p l a i n andconfirmt h e s e o u t c o m e s i n m a n a g e r i a l practicef o r sales& marketingi n t h e services e c t o r , t h e authorp r o p o s e d allf i v e hypothese sbasedo n previousresearchandrelatedtheories.Then,t h e authoralsoconductedt h e i n - d e p t h interviewswith06respondentsaboutemotionalintelligenceanditspredictedoutcomesinVietna mw o r k i n g e n v i r o n m e n t culture.Consequently,t h e m a s s i v e s u r v e y wasemployedt ocollectasamplesizeof201andtheresultsofdataanalysiswereusedtoindicatethediscussionsasfollow :
0.29andatt h e statisticalsignificancelevelo f 0 0 0 1 , correspondsw i t h m a n y studieswhichsugges tedthatemotionalintelligenceisoneofthepreliminaryfactorspreventingemployeesfromestabl ishingofwork-familyconflict(Suliman&Al-
Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in helping individuals achieve a balance between work and family life Those with a strong understanding of emotional intelligence not only perceive their work as meaningful but also leverage this balance to enhance both professional success and family happiness Research indicates that employees with higher emotional intelligence are better equipped to manage work-family conflicts, demonstrating more effective control over their emotions during such challenges Key components of emotional intelligence, including self-emotion appraisal, other-emotion appraisal, and emotional regulation, foster a sense of autonomy, competence, and self-control, which are essential for navigating the complexities of work-family dynamics Consequently, this supports the hypothesis that emotional intelligence significantly influences individual differences in emotional regulation within work-family contexts.
Theresultsshowedthat emotionalintelligencehadnegative impacto n emotionale x h a u s t i o n atthestatisticalsignificancelevelof0.001andwithstandardizedpathcoefficientofβ =-
0.17isconsistentwithresearchpaperwhichstatesthatemotionalintelligencestronglyoffersi n d i v i d u a l s controlt h e workpressuresanda d a p t e a s i l y w i t h t h e challenget o avoidt h e workburn out(Bar-
On,1997).Inrelationshipofemotionalintelligencetoemotionalexhaustion,employeeswhohaveam oralorintellectuallevelofemotionalintelligencedealing betterwith life’schallengesandjobstresses, whichleadstogoodpsychologicalandphysicalhealth(Taylor,2 0 0 1 ) andseemst o lessenemployee s’sufferfromemotionalexhaustion(VanR o o y &Viswesvaran,2004; Moon
H3.Work-familyconflict has apositive impactonemotionalexhaustion.
Hypothesis3 e x h i b i t e d a p o s i t i v e impacto f w o r k - f a m i l y conflictfactoro n emotionale x h a u s t i o n Asindicatedinthefigureofpathcoefficient s(β=0.46,p=0.001),itprovedthatH3wassupportedbythedata.Thisresultwasconsistentwiththe findingsofthepreviousstudyofA l l e n andArmstrong(2006),andJaramillo,BandeandVarela,
Employees who experience prolonged work-family conflict often suffer from energy depletion, leading to emotional exhaustion Research indicates that this conflict has negative repercussions on both work and family life, with high levels of work-family conflict correlating with increased feelings of emotional exhaustion Notably, work-family conflict significantly influences emotional exhaustion, showing a strong relationship where an increase in conflict (β = 0.46) results in a greater impact on emotional well-being Thus, the hypothesis that work-family conflict contributes to emotional exhaustion is supported.
This analysis reveals a significant relationship between work-family conflict and turnover intention, with a standardized path coefficient of β=0.26 and a p-value of 0.001, aligning with the findings of Greenhaus et al (2001) Vietnamese sales employees experiencing higher levels of work-family conflict are more likely to express intentions to leave their jobs The results suggest that conflicts arising from the workplace can lead employees to consider resigning, thereby confirming hypothesis 4.
Accordingt o figure4 6 , employeeemotionale x h a u s t i o n wasf o u n d t o havea s t r o n g influenceo n dependentfactor( j o b t u r n o v e r intention)att h e s t a t i s t i c a l significanceleve lo f
0.001,withstandardizedpathcoefficientof0.27.Therefore,therewasapositiverelationshipofemotio nalexhaustionandemployee’sjobturnoverintention.Emotionalexhaustionisrelatedtosalesperson i n t h e s e r v i c e i n d u s t r y p r o p e n s i t y toleaveh i s o r herj o b basingona prolongedperiodo f t i m e b e i n g emotionallyoverextendedandexhaustedbyemployees’w o r k T h u s , hypothesis5wa ssupported.
This chapter presents the results of data analysis regarding measurement scales, research models, and hypotheses Out of 26 theoretical measurement items, two were eliminated, resulting in a total of 24 items that effectively measure four constructs (refer to Appendix G and Table 4.8) The final measurement constructs demonstrated relevance within their respective categories Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) results indicated that most measurement scales were appropriate for assessing each construct The elimination of certain measurement items may have resulted from issues such as wording problems, conceptual inappropriateness, individual differences, redundancy with other items, or the uniqueness of Vietnamese culture (see Appendix C).
Regardingt h e S E M results,thereweret o t a l l y f i v e hypotheses,whichweres u p p o r t e d S pecifically,emotionalintelligencehadapositive impactonwork- family conflictatthestatisticalsignificancelevelof0.001andβ=-
0.29,emotionalintelligencehadapositiveimpacto n emotionalexhaustionatthestatisticalsignifica ncelevelof0.001andwithstandardizedpathcoefficientof-0.17,work- familyconflicthasapositiveimpactonemotionalexhaustion(β=0.46,p=0.001),work- familyc o n f l i c t hasa p o s i t i v e impacto n turnoverintentionw i t h β = 0 2 6 andp=0.001,emotionale x h a u s t i o n hasa p o s i t i v e impacto n t u r n o v e r i n tention(β=0.27,p = 0 0 0 1 ) T h e nextchapter would conclude thisstudy,andsuggestitsimplicationsanditslimitations.
The study focuses on the influence of key variables—emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, and emotional exhaustion—on employee turnover intention, rather than examining the antecedents of salesperson turnover intention Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis reveals significant relationships among these three determinants and turnover intention, aligning with findings from prior research in developed countries Chapter five of the study discusses the conclusions drawn, along with the implications and limitations of the research.
Conclusionsandimplications
This paper investigates the impact of emotional intelligence on work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, as well as the influence of these factors on turnover intention The findings support the proposed hypotheses, revealing that emotional intelligence negatively correlates with work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, while work-family conflict positively relates to both emotional exhaustion and turnover intention Respondents with high levels of work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion are likely to exhibit increased turnover intention Conversely, individuals with high emotional intelligence tend to experience lower levels of work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, which can subsequently decrease turnover intention The article emphasizes the significance of emotional intelligence in mitigating work-family conflict and emotional exhaustion, thereby enhancing employee retention It strongly recommends fostering emotional skills development to alleviate these issues and reduce turnover intention.
The sales position is often viewed as a stressful job due to the demands of meeting customer needs in a competitive environment (Bande et al., 2015) Salespeople frequently face challenges such as extensive travel, which limits their ability to cover all customers and prospects, leading to a high workload and potential conflicts (Jaramillo, Bande & Varela, 2011) Additionally, retaining talented sales personnel is a significant issue for sales executives, as high turnover rates continue to be a major concern (Boles et al., 2012; DeConinck, as cited in Khan et al., 2014).
Research has demonstrated the significant impact of emotional intelligence in high-interaction jobs, particularly in sales roles (O'Boyle et al., 2011) This study enhances the understanding of emotional intelligence by exploring its crucial role in reducing work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions Maintaining a positive and motivated workforce is essential for sales organizations, making it a critical concern for management The departure of a salesperson not only incurs the costs associated with recruiting a replacement—such as advertising, interviewing, and hiring—but also involves management expenses related to orientation and training (Boles et al., 2012; Hrehocik, 2007; Mulki).
Fristo f all,h i r i n g salespeoplew i t h highlevelso f emotionalintelligencecouldhavea conside rableimpactonreducingorganizationalwork- familyconflict,emotionalexhaustion andturnover.Aneffectiveretentionstrategiesoftenbegind uringtheemployeerecruitmentprocess
When selecting the right salesperson, managers should prioritize candidates' personality, temperament, and capacity Individuals who are outgoing, passionate, and active tend to possess strong emotional regulation abilities Therefore, incorporating psychological tests and interviews during the recruitment process is highly recommended Psychological assessments typically include clinical interviews, evaluations of intellectual functioning (IQ), personality assessments, and behavioral evaluations Personality tests are particularly crucial as they provide insights into a candidate's behavior, including their temperament, interests, attitudes, values, and motivation During interviews, interviewers should remain flexible and consider various aspects such as education, knowledge, experience, and achievements.
B y t h e s e a p p r o a c h e s , t h e e m p loyercanp r o p e r l y j u d g e t h e intervieweeandselectt h e q ualifiedstafff o r t h e c o m p a n y (Lv,X u & J i , 2012).Inthisways,theorganizationhiressalespeople withhighlevelsofemotionalintelligencewhichfurthersucceed onholdingitscriticalworkforce.
Enhancing training for sales staff is crucial for improving their emotional intelligence Organizations should consider implementing Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) to foster emotional competence among their salespeople EAPs, widely adopted by companies in the United States, offer professional advice and guidance to help employees address personal and work-related issues These programs can significantly reduce work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover rates Sales managers should prioritize the development and integration of EAPs into their training programs for sales personnel.
To mitigate the negative effects of work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover, it is essential to foster a fair work environment Fairness is a fundamental human need that significantly influences emotions and can create a positive atmosphere within the organization This encourages enthusiasm and positivity among employees Salespeople should have a clear understanding of their roles in serving customers and establish realistic performance expectations Sales managers must prioritize their team's well-being, recognizing and assisting them in effectively addressing challenges A fair workplace benefits both employees and employers, as well-treated employees are more likely to provide excellent customer service Additionally, a positive work environment helps maintain employees' positive emotions, ultimately reducing work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intentions.
LimitationsandrecommendationsforFutureResearch
Inthis study,there issome limitations asmatter.Thelackofgeneralizationisthe firstl i m i t a t i o n Samplesizeoftheprojectisabout200whichisnotgeneralizedtotheoverallservicei n d u s t r y anditisnotrepresentativeofthepopulation.Futureresearchshoulduseanothersamplingtechni quetomaketheresearch’sfindingsmoregeneralized.Thus,findingswillbenotconsistentifparticipant sarefromdifferentregionsduetothevarietyofintentionsfromregiontoregionand economytoeconomy.
The study's limitations include time constraints, as data was exclusively collected in Ho Chi Minh City, focusing solely on the service industry's sales personnel To enhance the research, future data collection should encompass various sectors and regions, considering that market trends in Vietnam may differ significantly from those in other cities, potentially impacting employee retention Additionally, the turnover intentions of females differ from those of males, yet the majority of respondents were female, which may skew the findings Cultural diversity also presents a limitation, as emotional intelligence, though a universal construct, may manifest differently across cultures; however, this aspect was not explored in the literature review Lastly, the research relied solely on survey methods, suggesting that experimental and field studies should be included in future investigations.
Despite the limitations mentioned, this research offers practical implications for managers in the Vietnamese service industry, aiming to enhance the understanding of turnover and encourage further studies in this area Future research should focus on the direct relationships between emotional intelligence and actual turnover, as obtaining real turnover data is more informative than relying on turnover intentions, given the existing gap between intention and actual departure The study primarily examines the connections among emotional intelligence, work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and turnover intention Additionally, other factors such as job satisfaction, well-being, and employee engagement should also be considered in exploring the relationship between emotional intelligence and turnover intention.
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2014.RetrievedM a y 11,2016fromhttp://english.tapchicongsan.org.vn/Home/Socialist- oriented-Market-Economy/2014/413/Overview-of-Viet-Nams-economy-in-2013-and- forecast-in-2 0 1 4 a s p x
Taylor,G.J.(2001).Lowemotionalintelligenceandmentalillness.InJ.Ciarrochi,J.P.Forgas,
(1993).Jobsatisfaction,organizationalcommitment,turnoverintention,andt u r n o v e r : Patha nalysesb a s e d o n m e t a - a n a l y t i c findings.P e r s o n n e l Psychology,46(2), 259-293. ThanhTam(2014,December9 th ).ImprovingqualityofVietNam’stourismhumanresourceforA S E
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(2007).Factorsaffectingtheutilizationoftheinternetbyinternationalizingfirmsintransitio nmarkets:EvidencefromVietnam.MarketingIntelligence& Planning,25(4),360-376.Doi: 10.1108/02634500710754592.
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VanRooy,D L.,& Viswesvaran,C (2004).E m o t i o n a l intelligence:A meta- analyticinvestigationofpredictivevalidityandnomologicalnet.JournalofVocationalBeha vior,65(1),71-95.
( 1 9 8 5 ) Feedbackobstruction:T h e i n f l u e n c e oft h e informationenvironmentonemployeeturnov erintentions.HumanRelations,38(1),23-46.Wong,C.S.,&Law,K.S. (2002).Theeffectsofleaderandfolloweremotionalintelligenceonperformanceandattitude:A n e x p l o r a t o r y study.TheLeadershipQuarterly,13(3),2 4 3 -
XuanH u o n g (2013,A p r i l 2 2 ) V N l o o k s t o t a p t o u r i s m p o t e n t i a l VietN a m N e w s.Retriev edfromhttp://vietnamnews.vn/economy/238446/vn-looks-to-tap-tourism-potential.html.
Thanksforyourattentionsintotheinterviewoftheresearch“Therelationshipbetweenemot ionalintelligenceandturnoverintentions:EvidencefromVietnam”.Allyouropinionsaremeanin gfulf o r t h e interview.P l e a s e presentyourt h i n k i n g andideashonestly!
I w i l l readl o u d l y eachmeasurementitem.Ifyoufullyunderstand,Iwillbereadinganextitem.If youdon o t understandoryouthinkitisnotsuitablefortheVietnamesecontext,pleasetellmewhy,andt e l l m e yoursuggestions.
2 Theamountoftime myjobtakesup makesi t difficulttofulfi llfamilyresponsibilities.
5 Duetowork- relatedduties,Ihavetomakechangestomyp l a n s forfamilyacti vities.
2 IfeelfatiguedwhenI getu p i n t h e m o r n i n g andhavet o facea notherdayon the job.
Theyconfirmedtheirunderstandingaboutself-management,psychologicalempowerment,self- efficacy,andjobperformanceaswellastheconsequentialrelationshipamongthesedimensions.Howev er,t h e m e a s u r e m e n t scalehass o m e i t e m s whicha r e n o t suitablefort h e V i e t n a m e s e c o n t e x t s , especiallythetourismandhospitalityworkingenvironmentofVietnam.Theyneedto b e modifiedandcomplementedt o b e m o r e a p p r o p r i a t e Indetail,t h e i t e m s weremodifiedasbel ow:
Emotionalintelligence:Self-Emotions Appraisal (SEA)
Therespondentsstatedt ha t theyunderstoodt hescalemeaning.Howe ver, theyadmittedt h i s itemi s p a r t l y describedclearerbyothe riteminscale.
I have goodundersta ndingoft h e em otionsof peoplearoundm e.
Inregardt o t h i s item,t h e intervieweess t a t e d th at
Vietnameseemployees m i g h t n o t seethedif ferences.This itemi s e a s i l y duplicatedbyoth
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s e a s i l y du plicatedbyotheritemi nscale. iteminscale.
Iw o u l d always encouragemysel f to trymybest.
With this item,respondentsstatedt h a t i t i s n o t clarifiedi n meaning,aswellasi t i s difficult forVietnamesesubordin ates tomeasure.Thisitemisp ar tl y
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s n o t comm oninVietnamconte xtanditisdifficult for employees tomeasurethisitem.
I am a self- motivating pe rson
The intervieweerecommend edt h e researchertoadd thephrase“ingeneral”i n frontofthesentenceto makethisscalemoreu nderstandable.
All respondentscriticizedth isitemispartly describedclearerbyothe riteminscale.
Excludedthisitemd u e t o i t i s n o t necess ary. old,Salesperson
Theamountofti memyjobtakes u p makesit diffi cultt o fulfillf a m i l y responsibi lities.
Withregardtothis sente nce,respondentsm e n t i o n e d thatitisquitevag ue.Iti s alsopartly mea suredbyot he r iteminsc ale.
Withregardtothis item, theintervieweesmenti onedthatitisnotclarifie di n m e a n i n g anditisn otpopularinVietnamc ontext.
Workingdirect ly withpeoplep u t s t o o much stre ssonme.
The intervieweesm e n t i o n e d theyunderstoodthescal emeaning.However,the yadmittedthisitemis partlyd e s c r i b e d c learerbyotheriteminscal
Excludedthisitemd u e to it is not
32yearsold,Salesperson rope criticizedt h a t t h e phr aseof“endofmyrope”is notacommonhabitofVi etnamese.This itemi s p a r t l y describedclear erbyo t h e r iteminscale commoninVietnamc ontext.
IamNguyenThiThienHuong,astudentofMasterProgramofUniversityofEconomicsHoChiM i n h Ci ty.I amu n d e r t a k i n g a researcht o investigate“ t h e relationshipbetweenemotionalintelligence andturnoverintention”.Itshouldtakeyounolongerthan10minutestocompletet h e questionnaire.
Your personalinformationwillnotbe disclosed withoutyourpermission.Ifyouh a v e concernso r questionsovert h i s study,p l e a s e contactmev i a e m a i l a d d r e s s : thienhuong761@gmail.com.
2 Areyouasalespersoninservice industry? a No,I’mnot b.Yes,Iam
Ifyouranswerforquestion1and2are“a”,youcanstopyourworkhere.Thankyouforyourcooperationi ncompletingthisquestionnaire.Ifyouranswerforquestion1and2are“b”,pleasecontinue answeringthequestions inSectionBandSectionC.
Thissectionexploresyourattitudeandperceptionsregardinge m o t i o n a l intelligence,work- f a m i l y conflict, emotional exhaustionandturnoverintention.
Towhat extentdoyou agreewith eachofth efollowingstatement s,pleaseindicateyouranswerusingthefollowing5- pointscalewhere:
Stronglydisagree Disagree Neitheragreenoragree Agree Stronglyagree
1 Ih a v e a goods e n s e ofw h y I h a v e certainfeelingsm o s t oft h e t i m e
10 Iama b l e t o controlmytempers o t h a t I canh a n d l e difficultiesration ally.
14 ThingsIw a n t t o d o ath o m e d o n o t getd o n e becauseo f t h e demandsmyjob puts onme.
15 Myj o b producesstraint h a t makesi t difficultt o fulfillf a m i l y dut ies
16 Duet o work- relatedduties,I havet o m a k e changest o myplans f o r familyactivitie s.
18 IfeelfatiguedwhenI getu p i n t h e m o r n i n g andhavet o faceanother dayon the job.
19 Workingdirectlywith people puts too muchstresson me 1 2 3 4 5
23 As soonasIcanfind abetter job,Iwillleavethiscenter 1 2 3 4 5
Thissectiono f th e questionnairereferst o backgroundor biographicalinformation.T h e informationw ill allow me to classifyandcomparegroupsofrespondents.
Highschool/Intermediate College/university Postgraduate
Chị,tôitênNguyễnThịThiênHương,hiệnđanglàhọcviêncaohọccủatrườngĐạihọcKinhtếTp.HCM. Tôiđangnghiêncứunhữngyếutốtácđộngđếnýđịnhluânchuyểncôngviệccủan h â n v i ê n (cán h â n )tạicơq u a n nơicáca n h chịđangl à m v i ệ c.Rấtm o n g A n h /
Chịcóbấtkỳthắcmắcnào,xinvuilòngliênlạcvớitôithôngquađịachỉemail:thienhuong761@gmail.co m.
1 Anh/Chịđanglàm côngviệchiệntạiđượcbaolâu? a Dướisáutháng b.Trênsáutháng
Nếuởcâusố1và2,anh/chịtrảlờilàđápán“a”,anh/chịcóthểdừngviệctrảlờikhảosáttạiđây.Chân thànhcámơnsựgiúpđỡcủaanhchị.
Nếuởcâusố1và2anh/chịtrảlời đápán“b”, xinanh/chịvui lòngtrảlời tiếp cáccâuhỏiởphầnB vàphần C.
Chịđốivớicácphát biểu sau bằngcáchđánh dấu
( X) vàoôtươngứng,với: Ô số 1: Hoàn toànkhôngđồng ýÔ số 2:Khôngđồng ý Ô số3:Trungdung/khôngcóý kiếnÔ số 4:Đồngý Ô số 5: Hoàn toàn đồngý
Hoàntoànkhôngđồngý Khôngđồngý Trungdung/khôngcóýkiến Đồngý Hoàntoàn đồng ý
1 Hầuhếtthờigiantôi nhận thứcrõtạisao tôicócảm xúcnàođó 1 2 3 4 5
4 Tôi luôn luônbiếtcảmxúccủabạn tôi thôngquahànhvi củahọ 1 2 3 4 5
5 Tôi luôn luônbiếtcảmxúccủabạn tôi thôngquahànhvi củahọ 1 2 3 4 5
9 Tôi là mộtngườibiếttự độngviên bản thân 1 2 3 4 5
10 Tôicóthểđiềukhiển tâmtrạng củatôi đểcóthểxửlýkhó khăn mộtcáchh ợ p lý 1 2 3 4 5
12 Tôicóthểnhanhchónglấylại bình tĩnh khitôiđangrất tứcgiận 1 2 3 4 5
19 Làmviệcvới mọingườicảngàythựcsự là một sự căngthẳngchotôi 1 2 3 4 5
23 Ngaykhi tôi tìm đượcmộtcôngviệctốt hơn, tôi sẽrời khỏi côngtynày 1 2 3 4 5
Chịchobiếtmộtsốthông tinsauđểp h ụcvụchoviệcphân loại và sosánhcácnhómđốitượngkhảosát.
Phổthông/Trungcâpnghề Caođẳng/Đạihọc Sauđạihọc