| The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to assess whether there were any significant differences in job satisfaction and turnover intentions of non-academic staff members, whose work location is either telecommute, or on campus at a non-profit institution of higher education located in the eastern region of the United States. The social exchange theory was used as the theoretical foundation for this study. Data were collected from 221 non-academic staff members using an electronic survey that included the Job Satisfaction Survey, the six-item Turnover Intention Scale, and a demographic questionnaire. The one-way MANOVA was used to analyze each of the three research questions. The multivariate effect of workplace location (telecommute, on campus) on the combined variables (job satisfaction, turnover intentions) was significant, Wilks' Lamba = .830, F(2, 218) = 22.355, p < .001. A significant between-subject effect was observed for job satisfaction, F(1, 219) = 26.88, p < .001, with telecommuters reporting more satisfaction with their jobs, M = 161.68, SD = 31.31 as compared to the on campus group M = 141.11, SD = 27.15. A significant between-subject effect was also observed for turnover intentions, F(1, 219) = 44.86, p < .001, with the on campus group reporting higher turnover intentions, M = 17.73, SD = 5.41 as compared to the telecommute group M = 12.26, SD = 6.67. These significant results for telecommuting in regard to job satisfaction and turnover intentions of non-academic, higher education staff members demonstrated that telecommuting has a positive effect on employee job satisfaction, and a negative effect on employee turnover intentions. |
