Retaining Talent: Assessing Job Satisfaction Facets Most Significantly Related to Software Developer Turnover Intentions

Retaining information technology employees has been a problem in many organizations for decades. When key software developers quit, they depart with critical knowledge of business processes and systems that are essential for maintaining a competitive advantage. The primary aim of this study was to assess facets of job satisfaction that are most significantly correlated with software developer turnover intentions. Surveys were collected from a sample of software developers across the United States. Correlations were assessed through multiple linear regression and parametric measures of association. The results indicated a significant predicting relationship between the software developers’ turnover intentions and nine facets of job satisfaction. Also found was a significant negative relationship between satisfaction with the nature of work and turnover intentions when controlling for the effects of the other independent variables. Implications of these findings are discussed along with recommendations for IT professionals and researchers.