Relationships between employment quality and intention to quit: focus on PhD candidates as traditional workers

ABSTRACT

Current statistics show that the attrition rate among PhD candidates is high (i.e. from 30% to 40% depending on the discipline and the country). This high-attrition rate has an impact on both economic (e.g. negative impact on the return-on investment in doctoral education) and human levels (e.g. negative consequences on candidates’ self-esteem and well-being). Therefore, it seems important to better understand and to prevent the attrition among PhD candidates. Based on the needs–supplies fit theory, the present research focused on the perception of a fit between several PhD candidates’ work-related needs in terms of employment quality and the characteristics of their job to explain their intention to quit their PhD thesis process. This study was based on 160 Belgian PhD candidates, viewed as traditional workers in the Belgian doctoral system, who were still in their thesis process. Data were collected in one Belgian university. Globally, results shown that only the fit perception between the needs for fairness/recognition from the supervisor and the current job situation was significantly associated with lower intention to quit. Thus, we encourage Universities to develop and boost fairness and recognition from thesis supervisors through notably specific training programmes including supportive and justice-based practices.

KEYWORDS:

• Employment quality
• work-related needs
• needs–supplies fit
• PhD candidates
• intention to quit

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

F. Travaglianti is PhD in Work and Organizational Psychology since 2016. His main research topics are the PE Fit, employment quality and non-standard working arrangements.

A. Babic is professor assistant and PhD Candidate at the University of Liège in Belgium. Her main research interests are focused on the work-home interference field.

I. Hansez is Full Professor of Work and Organizational Psychology at the University of Liège in Belgium. Her research interests are focused on Burnout, Psychosocial Risks and integration after long sickness absence.

Notes

1 Retrieved from www.ulg.ac.be and from http://www.ulg.ac.be/books/pars-en-these/.

2 Because they have a work contract, the PhD candidates have two different e-mail addresses. Through our collaboration with the PhD candidates’ department of the University, we were only able to contact our participants on their student e-mail address (which is not the one they use most). This might explains the low response rate.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Université de Liège [grant number ARC 2011 – Understanding Flexicurity].