A MODERATED MODEL OF THE JOB SATISFACTION AND TURNOVER INTENTIONS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN EMPLOYEES: INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF PERCEPTIONS OF FIT AND RACIAL CLIMATE IN THE THEORY OF WORK ADJUSTMENT

Abstract

The work lives of African Americans are understudied (Brown, 1995; Fitzgerald & Betz, 1994). The purpose of the present study is to address this dearth in the literature in three ways: (a) providing descriptive data related to the work experiences of African-American employees, (b) incorporating racial climate into the Theory of Work Adjustment, a theoretically-based model that predicts employee job satisfaction and turnover intentions, and (c) attempting to address methodological limitations raised in this body of literature. Self-report data were collected from African American employees (n=212), assessing their levels of perceptions of fit, sense of departmental racial climate, job satisfaction, and intentions to quit. In two separate regression equations, perceptions of fit predicted job satisfaction (R2=.43) and intentions to quit (R2=.17). However, racial climate did not emerge as a moderator, as hypothesized. Implications for practice and research as well as limitations are addressed.