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Strategies for reducing employee turnover andincreasing retention rates of quantity surveyorsCordelia H.S. Hee a & Florence Yean Yng Linga Department of Building , National University of Singapore , 4 Architecture Drive,Singapore, 117566, SingaporePublished online: 25 Nov 2011.

To cite this article: Cordelia H.S. Hee & Florence Yean Yng Ling (2011) Strategies for reducing employee turnover andincreasing retention rates of quantity surveyors, Construction Management and Economics, 29:10, 1059-1072, DOI:10.1080/01446193.2011.637569

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Strategies for reducing employee turnover andincreasing retention rates of quantity surveyors

CORDELIA H.S. HEE* and FLORENCE YEAN YNG LING

Department of Building, National University of Singapore, 4 Architecture Drive, Singapore, 117566 Singapore

Received 24 May 2011; accepted 31 October 2011

Quantity surveyors (QS) play an important role in the construction industry. There is therefore a need to

reduce their job turnover, by minimizing their intention to quit the job (turnover intention) and improving

their job satisfaction. Turnover intention was operationalized as the number of years QS are likely to remain in

the profession (Y1) and in their present firms (Y2). The aims are to investigate job and jobholder

characteristics that significantly affect Y1 and Y2; and provide recommendations to reduce QS’ turnover inten-

tions. Using questionnaire survey, data were collected via e-mail from randomly selected QS in Singapore.

Correlation analysis revealed that to reduce turnover, QS should be given competitive monetary and non-

monetary benefits, and autonomy in decision making. To reverse turnover intention of well-performing QS

who are ensconced in their firms, firms could enrich QS’ jobs so that their growth needs are met and they feel a

sense of accomplishment. Certain characteristics of QS and their jobs give rise to job satisfaction, and therefore

designing quantity surveying jobs that take in these characteristics may decrease turnover intention. The

relevant characteristics that should be included in the design of QS’ jobs to increase retention rates are task

significance, autonomy and feedback.

Keywords: Employee turnover, quantity surveyors, job satisfaction, job characteristics.

Introduction

In construction projects, quantity surveyors (QS) are

key players who are in charge of procurement, cost

and contract management. In order for firms to offer

clients high quality service, it is important to minimize

voluntary job turnover of skilled employees (Perryer

et al., 2010), including those of QS. The problem is

that in recent years, there has been a shortage of qual-

ified workers in the construction industry, including

the QS profession (Yankov and Kleiner, 2001). This

labour shortage is worsening due to the increasing

turnover rates of QS (Ling and Leow, 2008).

The aim of this study is to examine strategies for

reducing employee turnover and increasing retention

rate of QS. The specific objectives are to: investigate

significant factors that contribute to QS remaining in

or leaving the profession (Y1) and their present firms

(Y2); and propose strategies for reducing QS’ job

turnover intentions. This research is confined to QS

working in consultant quantity surveying firms in Sin-

gapore. It covers only voluntary employee/job turn-

over (‘turnover’ for brevity) in which individuals

choose to leave their firms or the profession. Prior to

an employee leaving the firm (actual turnover), there

is first the intention to quit (turnover intention).

Elangovan (2001) defined the intention to quit as an

attitudinal orientation or a cognitive manifestation of

the behavioural decision to quit. Intention to quit is a

strong indicator of turnover behaviour.

This study is significant because knowing the fac-

tors that contribute to voluntary turnover would

enable effective strategies for reducing turnover to be

crafted. It is important to reduce voluntary turnover

as it incurs significant economic costs due to the loss

of trained staff and retraining of new staff (Glebbeek

and Bax, 2004). It also incurs non-monetary costs

such as the loss of expertise, experience, knowledge

and relationships (Hurley and Estelami, 2007). When

it comes to dealing with clients and customers, the

*Author for correspondence. E-mail: cord.alive88@gmail.com

Construction Management and Economics (October 2011) 29, 1059–1072

Construction Management and EconomicsISSN 0144-6193 print/ISSN 1466-433X online � 2011 Taylor & Francis

http://www.tandfonline.comhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01446193.2011.637569

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loyalty of the customer may lie with the employee and

not with the company. Hence, the client may follow

the employee to another organization when the

employee resigns (Bateman, 2009), causing the

employee’s original organization to lose a client and

future sales.

The next section contains a review of literature

relating to job satisfaction and turnover. This is fol-

lowed by a review of the job characteristics theory,

and its dimensions viz. core job characteristics and

jobholder characteristics. Under each of these, rele-

vant constructs are identified and operationalized for

testing in the fieldwork. The literature review is fol-

lowed by a description of the research methodology.

The research findings are then reported. The discus-

sion section explores ways to reduce turnover of QS.

Finally, the conclusion identifies implications of the

findings and contributions of the research.

Turnover and job satisfaction

Employee turnover rate is calculated by finding out

the percentage of leavers during the year against the

average number of workers during the year (Glebbeek

and Bax, 2004). Voluntary turnover is defined as vol-

untary cessation of membership in an organization by

an individual who receives monetary compensation

for participating in that organization (Harman et al.,

2007). Considerable research has been devoted to

developing predictive models of voluntary turnover.

Bluedorn (1982) discovered, among other things, that

job satisfaction is negatively related to turnover and

intent to quit (turnover intention). Furthermore, turn-

over and turnover intention are found to be positively

correlated with one another.

Leading from Bluedorn’s (1982) finding that job

satisfaction is an antecedent of turnover, to reduce

turnover, it is necessary to investigate the factors that

affect job satisfaction. Hackman and Oldham (1975,

1976, 1980) postulated the job characteristics theory

which states, among other things, that job satisfaction

is affected by core job characteristics that are unique

to the job, and moderated by unique jobholder char-

acteristics.

Job characteristics theory

Hackman and Oldham’s (1980) job characteristics

theory states that at the most general level, five core

job dimensions (skill variety, task identity, task signifi-

cance, autonomy, feedback from job) prompt three

psychological states (jobholder experiencing meaning-

fulness of the work, responsibility for outcomes of the

work, and jobholder has knowledge of the actual

results of the work activities). These in turn lead to a

number of beneficial personal and work outcomes

comprising high job satisfaction, high internal work

motivation, high growth satisfaction, and high work

effectiveness. The outcomes are moderated by three

characteristics of the jobholder (knowledge and skill,

growth need strength, and work context).

A review of the literature on job characteristics and

jobholder characteristics revealed that there are 23

possible factors that may affect job satisfaction. For

ease of reference, each factor is given a number (#1

to #23). In the fieldwork, when the factors were

investigated for their importance, they were prefixed

with ‘I’ (I1 to I23). The same factors that were inves-

tigated for QS’ satisfaction were prefixed with ‘S’ (S1

to S23).

Characteristics of the job

According to Hackman and Oldham (1980), three

characteristics of jobs that are especially powerful in

influencing the experienced meaningfulness of work

are: skill variety, task identity and task significance.

These are operationalized for QS below.

Skill variety

Skill variety is the degree to which a job requires a

variety of different activities in carrying out the work,

involving the use of a number of different skills and

talents of the person (Hackman and Oldham, 1980).

Skill variety was operationalized in the fieldwork as

variation in work tasks (#17). Variation in work tasks

has been found to be positively correlated with job

satisfaction as it increases the level of interest for

workers even when there is a high level of job stress

within those tasks (Lambert and Hogan, 2010).

Skill variety was also operationalized as challenging

work tasks (#19). Challenging tasks are those confer-

ring autonomy and significance, but requiring a vari-

ety of skills (Katz, 1978). The level of complexity of

tasks affects the attitudes and perceptions towards the

job, which affect the motivational levels of employees

(Kleinbeck et al., 1990), their job satisfaction and

intention to quit.

Task identity

Task identity is the degree to which the job requires

completion of a whole, identifiable process or piece of

work by doing it from beginning to end with a visible

outcome (Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Task iden-

tity may be achieved when jobholders are solely

responsible for a piece of work. In a construction

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project however, this may not always be possible

because there are many stakeholders, making team-

work and cooperation necessary (Fellows et al.,

2003). Task identity was operationalized as working

in teams (#11). When QS work in teams, they could

be responsible for only a small part of the whole job

(e.g. only ceiling finishes of an airport terminal) mak-

ing their work less meaningful. Working in teams may

also give rise to conflicts and increased stress, which

may lead to intention to quit (Leung et al., 2005).

Task significance

Task significance is the degree to which the job has a

substantial impact on the lives of other people (those

people in the immediate organization and/or in the

world at large) (Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Task

significance was operationalized as a sense of accom-

plishment (#16). Kumar et al. (2007) found that per-

sonal accomplishment has a positive relationship with

job satisfaction. A decreased sense of personal accom-

plishment can lead to effects such a low satisfaction

level due to the high amount of chronic, emotional and

interpersonal stressors at work (Maslach et al., 2001).

Autonomy

The fourth job characteristic to allow jobholders to

experience responsibility for outcomes of the work is

autonomy (Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Autonomy

is defined as the degree to which the job provides

substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to

the individual in executing work assignments

(Hackman and Oldham, 1980). Autonomy includes

task autonomy, pace autonomy, how to do work,

discretion and pace control (DeVaro et al., 2007).

One aspect of autonomy is decision making. When

employees make their own decisions on how to man-

age their time and work schedule, there is increase in

motivation and reduction in job stress (Chan, 2007).

This motivation arises from the feeling of trust that

workers sense from the lack of close supervision or

monitoring by their supervisors (Liu and Fellows,

2008). Greater autonomy is associated with improved

teamwork, better morale and greater enthusiasm

towards work, thus bringing about higher levels of

satisfaction and motivation (Bowen et al., 2008), and

less intention to quit. Autonomy was operationalized

as autonomy in decision making (#14).

Employees experience some form of autonomy if

they have a say on their physical work environment.

Physical environment has been found to affect job sat-

isfaction (Leung et al., 2005). Stress is brought about

in situations of extreme temperatures, overcrowded

environments or poorly designed offices (Leung et al.,

2005), leading to a decrease in job satisfaction.

Autonomy was also operationalized as physical work

environment (#23).

Feedback from job

Hackman and Oldham’s (1980) final dimension of

job characteristic relates to feedback from the job,

which gives jobholders knowledge of the actual results

of their work activities. Job feedback is the degree to

which a jobholder is provided with direct and clear

information about the effectiveness of his or her per-

formance.

Firms need to have an effective employee perfor-

mance appraisal system whereby individuals learn of

their strengths and weaknesses, and are told what they

should do to overcome deficiencies (Kleinbeck et al.,

1990). Managers need to feedback to their subordi-

nates what needs to be done differently in order to

improve, or reinforce positive behaviours. Positive

feedback increases workers’ sense of task competence,

decreases stress levels, increases job satisfaction

(Kleinbeck et al., 1990), and these lead to lower turn-

over intention. Feedback from job was operationalized

as regular feedback or evaluation (#22).

Firms should recognize employees for jobs done

well by demonstrating appreciation when a certain

level of performance is achieved or a significant con-

tribution to an objective is made (Lapane and

Hughes, 2007). A lack of recognition for an achieve-

ment leads to lower job satisfaction as employees feel

that they did not receive the recognition they deserved

(Lapane and Hughes, 2007), giving rise to voluntary

turnover. Feedback from job was also operationalized

as recognition for a job well done (#20).

Characteristics of the jobholder

Hackman and Oldham’s (1980) job characteristics

theory recognizes that not all employees will respond

positively to a job high in motivating potential. The

theory identifies three characteristics of jobholders as

important in determining a fit between a job’s moti-

vating potential and the jobholder. These are: knowl-

edge and skills; growth need strength; and work

context. These three characteristics are unique to job-

holders, and reviewed below.

Knowledge and skills

Jobholders with sufficient knowledge and skills to

perform the work effectively will experience positive

feelings because of self-reward (Hackman and Old-

ham, 1980). Job knowledge has been found to be

correlated with job performance (Hunter, 1986).

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Knowledge and skills was operationalized as having

sufficient technical knowledge to perform QS’ work

(#5). In the quantity surveying profession, technical

knowledge is gained through formal education and

internships, and from mentors and seasoned

employees (Fong and Choi, 2009). Formal quantity

surveying education has been criticized for not

producing some of the skills needed in fresh

graduates.

Growth need strength

Individuals who have strong need for personal growth

and development will respond positively to a job high

in motivating potential (Hackman and Oldham,

1980). These individuals have robust need for self-

direction at work, and appreciate and respond enthu-

siastically to the opportunities for personal accom-

plishment provided by a job (Hackman and Oldham,

1980). This was operationalized as chances for pro-

motion (#7). Individuals with high growth needs who

are promoted will have an opportunity to be

stretched. A job promotion is a signal that the

company recognizes and values the employee’s contri-

bution (Bergiel et al., 2009). With organizations

getting flatter in structure, the prospect and opportu-

nity for promotion decreases. Jobholders with high

growth needs would thus be disappointed due to a

lack of promotion, and this may lead to voluntary

turnover (Dabke et al., 2008).

Individuals with strong need for personal growth

undertake continuous learning to develop new skills.

Growth need strength was also operationalized as

chances to develop new skills (#8). Trained individu-

als would be able to achieve higher productivity,

better performance and job satisfaction, and thus their

turnover intent is decreased (Yankov and Kleiner,

2001). The paradox is that trained employees are

more motivated and this encourages retention, but it

also makes them more marketable and hence more

likely to leave the firm, which is not helpful in job

embeddedness (Bergiel et al., 2009).

Work context

Hackman and Oldham’s (1980) job characteristics

theory predicts that employees’ work outcomes are

affected by their satisfaction with aspects of the work

context. Work context includes pay, job security,

co-workers and managers (Oldham et al., 1976).

Contextual factors which cause dissatisfaction distract

jobholders’ attention from the work itself as they

channel their energy towards coping with the prob-

lems (Kulik et al., 1987).

Work context was operationalized as monetary

benefits (#1). Monetary benefits such as monthly

salaries and performance bonuses have been found to

motivate employees to have higher productivity and

increase their level of motivation (Bergiel et al.,

2009). A strong salary growth has been observed to

significantly reduce turnover, especially for high per-

forming employees (Bergiel et al., 2009). In addition,

it also serves as an incentive to motivate employees to

do their best, bringing the result of their task closer to

the desired outcome, and increasing their level of job

satisfaction (Bergiel et al., 2009).

Work context was also operationalized as non-

monetary benefits (#2). Non-monetary benefits may

include flexible working hours, extra leave and com-

pany sponsored holidays. These non-monetary bene-

fits are part of the factors that contribute to intrinsic

motivation which lead to higher job satisfaction levels

(Matsumura and Kobayashi, 2008).

Job security (#4) is next operationalized under

work context. It is the duration of jobs or the proba-

bility of retaining a job, and comprises the possibility

of job loss and the cost of job loss (Neumark, 2000).

Jobs in the construction industry are project-based,

and therefore less secure. A lack of job security

increases the risk of losing one’s source of income,

bringing about feelings of anxiety and stress, and

these affect employees’ work performance (Dwivedula

and Bredillet, 2010) and motivational level, leading to

lower job satisfaction and higher turnover intention

(Neumark, 2000).

Work context is also operationalized as approach-

ability (#10) and effectiveness of QS’ supervisor

(#9). Supervisors’ performance affects subordinates’

job satisfaction (Bateman, 2009). Effective leaders

influence subordinates to achieve a high level of

performance, value their contributions, and care

about their well-being (Bergiel et al., 2009). A high

level of supervisor support will result in an increase

in job satisfaction, and affective commitment, lead-

ing to a decrease in turnover intention (Perryer

et al., 2010).

Working relationships with co-workers (#12)

negatively affect voluntary turnover (Bateman, 2009).

Individuals who perceive that they are in a friendly

workplace and cultivate high quality relations with fel-

low co-workers are less likely to quit (Mossholder

et al., 2005). Bateman (2009) found that co-worker

support influences an employee’s performance and

attendance. When employees have close relationships

with other co-workers, social network ties bind them

to the organization, decreasing the impact of negative

factors that usually lead to voluntary turnover

(Mossholder et al., 2005).

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The ethics and integrity of the firm (#13) may

affect employees’ job satisfaction (Singhapakdi and

Vitell, 2007). Business ethics of managers and

supervisors have been found to affect the work

environment. When the ethics of the company are

seen in a negative light, employees’ job satisfaction is

reduced (Singhapakdi and Vitell, 2007), leading to

turnover intention.

A sense of belonging to the company (#15) is cre-

ated by a supportive work environment and co-work-

ers (Winter-Collins and McDaniel, 2000). This sense

of belonging helps employees to overcome job stress,

especially if it is the individual’s first job. A sense of

belonging also strongly influences job embeddedness

which is the extent to which people are linked to oth-

ers and the ease with which those links can be broken

(Mitchell et al., 2001). When employees have a strong

sense of belonging to the firm, they are likely to have

higher job satisfaction and lower turnover intention

(Harman et al., 2007).

Other work context variables are: working hours

(#3), amount of workload (#21) and stress levels of

the job (#18). Employees in the construction industry

are expected to work at least 50 hours a week

(Wilkinson, 2008). Vacation days and the opportunity

to take time off are rare due to the immense amount

of workload (Lingard, 2003). The long working hours

have not just detrimental effects on project productiv-

ity and quality but can also result in a high rate of

burnout among employees (Love and Haynes, 2001;

Yankov and Kleiner, 2001). The long working hours

and usually unpaid overtime lead to a decrease in

leisure time (Bowen et al., 2008). Health problems

have been linked to increased workload causing con-

tinual tiredness and stress (Lingard, 2003). Excessive

workload creates and increases job stress, which

results in depression, low self-esteem, dissatisfaction

and intention to quit (Leung et al., 2005). Too much

stress leads to dysfunctional stress, deterioration of

workers’ desire for professional growth, reduction in

job satisfaction (Chan, 2007), and burnout (Kumar

et al., 2007). These bring about lower levels of job

satisfaction (Lingard, 2003; Bateman, 2009) and

increase in voluntary turnover rate (Fellows et al.,

2003; Bowen et al., 2008).

Work context is also operationalized as fit between

a jobholder’s traits and the job (#6). Judge et al.

(2000) found that personality in adulthood

(manifested in traits such as self-esteem, self-efficacy,

locus of control and low neuroticism) is significantly

correlated with job satisfaction. A lack of fit is likely

to result in dysfunctional stress, poor performance

and low job satisfaction (Elangovan, 2001). When

there is good fit between a jobholder’s traits and the

job (#6), s/he is likely to experience higher job satis-

faction levels due to his/her ability to meet the

employer’s expectations (Love and Haynes, 2001).

Methodology

Analytical framework and knowledge gap

Based on the literature review above, the analytical

framework is proposed. The framework is

underpinned by these constructs: job satisfaction,

employee turnover and job characteristics. Bluedorn

(1982) found that job satisfaction is an antecedent of

employee turnover. To reduce turnover, jobs must be

designed such that they have the essential characteris-

tics to give job satisfaction. The theory that is relevant

to explain job characteristics is Hackman and

Oldham’s (1975, 1976, 1980) theory of job character-

istics, which states that job satisfaction is affected by:

core job characteristics (unique to the job) and

jobholder characteristics (unique to the jobholder).

The research questions are: what are the reasons

behind QS’ turnover intention; and what initiatives

are effective in arresting turnover intention?

Many studies have been conducted on job satisfac-

tion, job/jobholders’ characteristics and turnover inten-

tion. Hitherto, few studies on the link between quantity

surveying (job) characteristics and QS (jobholder)

characteristics with turnover intention have been done.

It is not known if the job characteristics theory by

Hackman and Oldham (1980) is relevant to QS. The

fieldwork was therefore conducted to test the relevance

of this theory on QS. It also sought to uncover the

characteristics/factors that affect turnover intention, so

that recommendations can be made to reduce turnover

intention and increase retention rate of QS.

Research method

The research method had the aim of investigating

characteristics/factors (listed in Table 2) that affect

turnover intention and retention rate, operationalized

as the length of time QS would stay in the profession

(Y1), and in their current firms (Y2). Research may

be based on quantitative or qualitative methods

(Rubin and Babbie, 2006). Creswell (1994) termed

the quantitative approach as a traditional, positivist,

experimental or empiricist paradigm, and the

qualitative approach as a constructivist, naturalistic,

interpretative, postpositivist or postmodern paradigm.

As job and jobholder characteristics are observable,

the quantitative positivist approach was adopted.

A survey was conducted as it provides a quantitative

or numeric description of some fraction of the popula-

tion—the sample—through the data collection process

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of asking questions of people, so that the findings from

a sample of responses may be generalized to a popula-

tion (Fowler, 1988). This was also chosen because it

allowed a large number of subjects to be studied.

The data collection instrument was a specially

designed structured questionnaire. Section 1 contained

demographic questions. Section 2 requested informa-

tion regarding career decisions, including how long

more respondents would stay in the quantity surveying

profession (Y1) and their current firms (Y2). In

section 3, respondents had to rate how important 23

factors (labelled as I1 to I23) obtained from literature

review were, when they made career decisions. In

section 4, they were asked to rate how satisfied they

were with these in their current jobs (labelled as S1 to

S23). A large proportion of the questions required

respondents to rate on a five-point Likert scale. In sec-

tion 3, the scale was anchored as: 1 = not important; 3

= neutral; and 5 = extremely important. In section 4,

the anchors were: 1 = very unsatisfied; 3 = neutral;

and 5 = very satisfied. A pilot survey was conducted

with three QS to determine the feasibility and reliabil-

ity of the questions, and thereafter, the questionnaire

was amended and finalized.

The survey package comprised an introductory

e-mail and a set of questionnaires. To encourage

participation, a summary of the survey findings was

available to respondents who were interested in the

research.

The population comprised practising QS in

Singapore. As Singapore does not require practising

QS to be registered, the Singapore Institute of

Surveyors and Valuers’ database of 379 QS members

and fellows was used as the sampling frame. Samples

were randomly selected from this database.

The main ways to administer a survey are: telephone

survey, mail survey and personal survey (Jackson,

2006). The data collectionmethod was e-mail survey, as

it allowed many samples to be reached (Jackson, 2006).

Other data collection methods such as archival research

and site observations were not used because QS’ satis-

faction with their jobs are not documented nor easily

observed during a single site visit.

Results

Characteristics of respondents

Two hundred and fifty sets of questionnaires were

sent out and 94 usable responses were received via

e-mail, giving a response rate of 38%.

The characteristics of the respondents are given in

Table 1. The majority of the respondents are married

Singaporean male QS, above 35 years old. They had

worked as QS for an average of 15 years. Almost all

have a university degree. Factors that contributed to

respondents’ career decision included internship expe-

rience and recommendations by professors and friends.

About half chose to become QS due to interest in the

profession, while about one-quarter were attracted to

the profession because of monetary benefits.

Among these 94 samples, 63 (67%) are likely to

remain in the quantity surveying profession beyond

10 years, indicating that 33% had turnover intention.

The possible leakage of one-third of trained man-

power is a cause for concern, though it is noted that

with Singapore’s retirement age set at 65, and 13

(14%) of the respondents being above 55 (and there-

fore might soon retire), the turnover intention might

actually be lower.

As regards how long more respondents are likely to

stay in their current firms, about 31% would stay up

to three years; another 26% would stay for up to 10

years, with the rest 43% staying long term.

In order to check the relationship between satisfac-

tion with a job or jobholder related factor/characteris-

tic (S1 to S23 in Table 2) and the likely length of

time QS would remain in the profession (Y1) and in

their current firms (Y2), Spearman’s Rho correlation

analysis was carried out using the SPSS software. It

measures the strength and direction of the linear rela-

tionship between a pair of variables. The coefficient

ranges in value from –1 to +1. Large positive or

negative values indicate that there is a strong linear

relation between the variables being tested (Norusis,

2008). Significance level was set at p < 0.05. When p

< 0.05, it is concluded that there is significant

correlation. When p P 0.05, there is no significant

correlation between the two variables.

The results are shown in Table 2.

Table 2 shows significant correlation between

respondents’ intention to remain in the quantity sur-

veying profession (Y1) and their satisfaction with the

following:

� monetary benefits (S1);

� non-monetary benefits (S2);

� fit between one’s traits and the job (S6);

� autonomy in decision making (S14);

� sufficient technical knowledge to perform QS

work (S5).

Table 2 also shows that when respondents’ levels of

satisfaction with these factors are high, they are also

likely to remain longer in their present firms (Y2):

� monetary benefits (S1);

� non-monetary benefits (S2);

� fit between one’s traits and the job (S6);

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Table 1 Characteristics of respondents

Characteristics Frequency Percentage (%)

Gender

Male 59 63

Female 35 37

Age (years)

Less than 26 12 13

26–35 25 26

36–45 28 30

45–55 16 17

Above 55 13 14

Marital status

Single 33 35

Married 57 61

Divorced or widowed 4 4

Nationality

Singaporean and permanent residents 89 95

Foreigners 5 5

Experience as QS (years)

Up to 10 years 30 32

11–20 years 35 37

> 20 years 29 31

Designation

Junior (6 10 years) 29 31

Middle (11–20 years) 35 37

Senior (P 20 years) 30 32

Highest qualification level

Diploma 5 5

Degree 76 81

Masters 13 14

Biggest contributor to career decision

Career talks/fairs 11 12

Internship experience 25 27

Recommendations 37 39

Personal research 14 15

Others 7 7

Reasons for being a QS

Monetary benefits 23 25

Interest in quantity surveying 45 48

Recommended by someone 18 19

Others 8 8

Projected length in QS profession (Y1)

Less than 1 year 4 4

1–3 years 9 10

4–7 years 10 11

8–10 years 8 8

More than 10 years 63 67

Projected length in current firm (Y2)

Less than 1 year 4 4

1–3 years 25 27

4–7 years 20 21

8–10 years 5 5

More than 10 years 40 43

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Table 2 Correlation results between factors and Y1 and Y2

Item Factor MeanY1 Spearman’s Rho, Sig

(2-tail)

Y2 Spearman’s Rho, Sig

(2-tail)

Retention

Y1 Length of time in QS profession 4.266 1 0.541⁄⁄

0.000

Y2 Length of time in current firm 3.553 0.541⁄⁄ 1

0.000

Skill variety

S17 Variation in work tasks 3.660 �0.010 0.141

0.921 0.176

S19 Challenging work tasks 3.628 0.170 0.066

0.101 0.524

Task identity

S11 Working in teams 3.585 �0.068 0.077

0.516 0.463

Task significance

S16 A sense of accomplishment 3.713 0.135 0.310⁄⁄

0.195 0.002

Autonomy

S14 Autonomy in decision making 3.777 0.218⁄ 0.336⁄⁄

0.035 0.001

S23 Physical work environment 3.394 0.166 0.188

0.110 0.070

Feedback from job

S22 Regular feedback or evaluation 3.277 0.062 0.211⁄

0.554 0.032

S20 Recognition for a job well done 3.532 �0.008 0.153

0.939 0.141

Knowledge and skills

S5 Sufficient technical knowledge to perform QS’ work 3.894 0.224⁄ 0.188

0.030 0.070

Growth need strength

S8 Chances to develop new skills 3.585 0.009 0.122

0.928 0.241

S7 Chances for promotion 3.436 0.177 0.289⁄

0.088 0.005

Work context

SI Monetary benefits (i.e. salary, bonus) 3.574 0.286⁄⁄ 0.279⁄⁄

0.005 0.006

S2 Non-monetary benefits (i.e. holidays) 3.426 0.268⁄⁄ 0.295⁄⁄

0.009 0.004

S4 Job security 3.862 0.170 0.177

0.102 0.088

S9 Effectiveness of supervisor 3.681 �0.152 �0.121

0.144 0.244

S10 Approachability of supervisor 3.777 �0.119 �0.137

0.252 0.189

S12 Working relationship with co-workers 3.894 �0.012 0.044

0.912 0.671

S13 Ethics and integrity of company 3.957 0.136 0.250

0.190 0.015

(Continued)

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� autonomy in decision making (S14);

� chances for promotion (S7);

� sense of belonging to firm (S15);

� sense of accomplishment (S16);

� regular feedback or evaluation (S22).

Discussion

Table 2 shows that among Hackman and Oldham’s

(1980) dimensions of job characteristics, skill variety

and task identity are not significantly correlated with

turnover intentions or retention (Y1 and Y2). Other

job and jobholder characteristics that are significantly

correlated with turnover intention are discussed

below.

Task significance and retention

The result in Table 2 shows significant correlation

between sense of accomplishment (S16) and length of

time QS would stay in their current firms (Y2).

Accomplishments lead QS to have better self-esteem,

bringing about pride in work and identity within the

company (Maslach et al., 2001). The result supports

Morse and Weiss’ (1955) finding that a person’s job

is more than just for him or her to earn a living, but

also allows one to be tied to a larger society, have

something to do, and have a sense of achievement.

This sense of accomplishment gives jobholders job

satisfaction (Kumar et al., 2007), and hence decreases

their likelihood of exiting the firm.

Autonomy and retention

Table 2 shows significant correlation between QS

satisfaction with the level of autonomy in decision

making (S14) and the length of time they are likely to

stay in industry (Y1) and the firm (Y2). When firms

require authorization for simple decisions to be made,

Chan (2007) found that there is an increase in work

stress and resentment that the management does not

trust staff, resulting in job dissatisfaction. Staff who

have the autonomy to make decisions are motivated

because they feel that their supervisors trust them

(Liu and Fellows, 2008). It is therefore recommended

that firms empower their staff to make decisions as

this leads to improved teamwork (Bowen et al.,

2008), better morale and greater enthusiasm towards

work, thus bringing about higher levels of satisfaction

and motivation, and lower turnover intention.

Feedback and retention

Significant correlation is found between QS’ satisfac-

tion with the regular feedback or evaluation that they

receive (S22) and how long they are likely to stay in

the firm (Y2) (see Table 2). When a job imparts

information about an individual’s performance, he or

she is more likely to have higher job satisfaction

(Hackman and Oldham, 1975) and better job

performance (Humphrey et al., 2007). It is suggested

that managers provide regular feedback and

evaluation, to let employees know their strengths and

weaknesses, and also to assure them that the company

is interested in them. The feedback should highlight

areas that have been done correctly, which jobholders

should continue doing, and areas for improvement.

Knowledge and skills and retention

Table 2 shows that when QS have sufficient technical

knowledge to perform their work (S5), they are likely

Table 2 (Continued)

Item Factor MeanY1 Spearman’s Rho, Sig

(2-tail)

Y2 Spearman’s Rho, Sig

(2-tail)

S15 A sense of belonging to company 3.670 0.096 0.363⁄⁄

0.358 0.000

S3 Working hours 3.564 �0.012 0.146

0.908 0.159

S21 Amount of workload 3.362 0.084 0.186

0.418 0.073

S18 Stress levels of job 3.383 0.173 0.095

0.096 0.361

S6 Fit between my traits and the job 3.638 0.250⁄ 0.236⁄

0.015 0.022

Notes: The first and second numbers denote correlation coefficient and significance level respectively. ⁄ Sig p < 0.05; ⁄⁄ p < 0.01.

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to stay in the industry and not opt for voluntary turn-

over. Individuals without sufficient knowledge and

skills would waste time looking up the information or

taking time away from supervisors or co-workers when

asking them for help (Hunter, 1986). Jobholders with

sufficient knowledge and skills are able to achieve a

high level of task performance (Hunter, 1986). With a

high level of job performance, QS would then be

suitably rewarded and motivated, hence, not think of

leaving the profession.

Growth need and retention

QS’ satisfaction with chance for promotion (S7) is

significantly correlated with Y2. The result agrees

with Murrell et al.’s (1996) finding that to overcome

low promotion chances, individuals would exit from

one company and join another one for job advance-

ment. Employers should take note of QS’ need for

job promotion. It is suggested that they design many

job grades and job titles, in order to retain their well-

performing QS.

Work context and retention

Table 2 shows significant correlation between satisfac-

tion with monetary benefits (S1) and length of time

respondents are likely to remain in the profession

(Y1) and their firms (Y2). This supports Bergiel

et al.’s (2009) finding that a strong salary growth can

result in a decrease in turnover rates. It indicates that

when QS are not satisfied with their current salaries

and are offered higher salaries for a similar job in

another firm, they are likely to join the other firm. It

is suggested that employers remunerate QS competi-

tively to reduce turnover and turnover intention.

Higher satisfaction with non-monetary benefits (S2)

is significantly correlated with the length of time QS

would stay in the profession (Y1) and their firms (Y2)

(see Table 2). This agrees with Matsumura and

Kobayashi (2008) who found that employees will be

intrinsically motivated if there is an increase in non-

monetary benefits, leading to decrease in turnover

rates. The finding suggests that firms should not

overlook non-monetary benefits as these are added

incentives to an employee’s decision to stay. It is

recommended that employers design non-monetary

benefits flexibly and allow employees to choose which

kind of benefits they prefer so as to increase their

satisfaction level.

There is significant correlation between QS’ satis-

faction with the sense of belonging to the company

(S15) and Y2 (see Table 2). The result agrees with

previous studies which found that a higher sense of

belonging helps to overcome job stress, enhances job

embeddedness (Mitchell et al., 2001), increases job

satisfaction and therefore reduces the intention to quit

(Harman et al., 2007). To inculcate the sense of

belonging, it is suggested that employers create a sup-

portive work environment such as a buddy system for

new employees, a feedback system to receive employ-

ees’ opinions and involving employees when making

decisions that affect them.

The results in Table 2 show significant correlations

between Y1 and Y2, and satisfaction with the fit

between a jobholder’s traits and the job (S6). When

there is a good fit between a jobholder’s traits and job

requirements, greater pleasure is gained from accom-

plishing tasks and meeting expectations (Love and

Haynes, 2001), hence increasing job satisfaction. This

increase in job satisfaction will in turn reduce the

intention to quit from the firm and the profession. It

is recommended that employers conduct a detailed

pre-employment screening to ascertain the traits of

applicants and check their suitability to work as QS.

This would include having numerical affinity to

undertake costing, possessing an eye for detail to do

valuation of variations, and being meticulous in

checking quantities.

Recommendations to reverse turnover intention

Using SPSS, Mann-Whitney U test was conducted

on samples (n = 31) that had turnover intention (i.e.

leaving the QS profession within the next 10 years) to

find out the job areas in which QS experienced signif-

icantly lower satisfaction compared to the perceived

importance. When p < 0.05, it indicates that there is

significant difference between respondents’ satisfac-

tion level with a job characteristic and its perceived

importance.

Six pairs of factors showed significant differences

(see Table 3). Based on the results, recommendations

that are aimed at retaining QS who are already

ensconced in their firms but have turnover intention

are proposed.

Get the pay package right

The result in Table 3 shows that there is a signifi-

cant higher importance level accorded to monetary

benefits than satisfaction level experienced by QS

(pair 1), suggesting that respondents expect more

salary or bonuses than what they are actually given.

Twenty-five per cent of the respondents indicated

that they joined the profession for its monetary ben-

efit (see Table 1), and monetary benefit is a signifi-

cant factor for firms to retain QS (see Table 2). It

is recommended that employers provide fair and

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competitive compensation packages so that their

high performing QS could be retained. Market sur-

veys could be conducted to ascertain whether the

pay is competitive for the jobholder’s level of expe-

rience and productivity. The pay should also be

reviewed periodically based on the jobholder’s indi-

vidual work and his/her performance within the

group. The reasons for the quantum of salary

adjustments should be explained to employees so

that they understand how these are tied to their

level of performance. Performance bonuses should

be paid according to the performance of the indi-

vidual and not based on seniority or a standard for-

mula applied to all staff in the whole company.

This will not just bring up the productivity and

effort of the individual each year, but will also

increase the level of motivation and job satisfaction,

and lower turnover.

Enrich QS’ job

Table 3 shows a significant difference between impor-

tance of meeting QS’ growth needs (pair 7—chance for

promotion; and pair 8—chance to develop new skills)

and sense of accomplishment (pair 16), and satisfac-

tion in having these needs met. It is recommended that

employers enrich QS’ jobs so that they do not feel

trapped in a dead-end job. One way is to let QS decide

on approximate estimating methods to be adopted and

subsequently compare their level of accuracy against

tender prices. Another example is to let them decide on

which tender to be recommended for acceptance, and

at the end of the project, compare the contractors’ per-

formance against what QS perceived their ability was

during tender evaluation stage. QS could be involved

in assessing various alternative materials and recom-

mend to architects or engineers a cost effective solu-

tion, taking into account life cycle costs.

Improving job environment

The result in Table 3 shows that there is significantly

higher importance level accorded to fit between job

and traits (pair 6) than satisfaction levels experienced

by QS. Since the QS are already embedded in their

existing firms, if there is a poor fit, it is recommended

that the company find ways to tweak the job scope in

order to achieve a better fit with the employee’s traits.

This tweaking of job scope should take into account

feedback from all parties including the dissatisfied

employee. The next recommendation is to provide

these QS with training to enable them to develop new

Table 3 Mann-Whitney U test results

Pair Mean (importance) Mean (satisfaction) Difference in mean Mann-Whitney U Sig (2-tail)

Pair 1 I1–S1 4.1 3.233 0.867 227.0 0.001⁄⁄

Pair 2 I2–S2 3.5 3.1 0.400 355.0 0.136

Pair 3 I3–S3 3.733 3.567 0.167 421.5 0.654

Pair 4 I4–S4 3.8 3.633 0.167 406.5 0.496

Pair 5 I5–S5 3.8 3.667 0.133 402.0 0.432

Pair 6 I6–S6 4.067 3.367 0.700 265.5 0.004⁄⁄

Pair 7 I7–S7 3.833 3.267 0.567 273.5 0.005⁄⁄

Pair 8 I8–S8 4.2 3.6 0.600 270.0 0.003⁄⁄

Pair 9 I9–S9 4.033 3.867 0.167 399.0 0.425

Pair 10 I10–S10 4.067 3.933 0.133 415.0 0.584

Pair 11 I11–S11 3.633 3.667 �0.033 433.5 0.919

Pair 12 I12–S12 3.967 3.9 0.067 429.0 0.741

Pair 13 I13–S13 4.133 3.8 0.333 345.0 0.101

Pair 14 I14–S14 3.667 3.533 0.133 377.5 0.232

Pair 15 I15–S15 3.967 3.6 0.367 338.0 0.079

Pair 16 I16–S16 4.1 3.567 0.533 291.0 0.013⁄

Pair 17 I17–S17 3.8 3.633 0.167 405.5 0.482

Pair 18 I18–S18 3.533 3.167 0.367 345.0 0.096

Pair 19 I19–S19 3.633 3.467 0.167 400.5 0.421

Pair 20 I20–S20 3.9 3.6 0.300 348.0 0.106

Pair 21 I21–S21 3.6 3.267 0.333 360.5 0.163

Pair 22 I22–S22 3.4 3.233 0.167 372.0 0.212

Pair 23 I23–S23 3.767 3.267 0.500 296.0 0.015⁄

Notes: ⁄ Sig p < 0.05; ⁄⁄ p < 0.01.

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skills so that they can perform tasks that are more

compatible with their personalities.

The result shows that there is a higher importance

level accorded to physical work environment (pair 23)

than satisfaction levels experienced by QS. It is

recommended that companies design efficient office

layouts, use low partitions, provide meeting rooms

and recreational areas as these facilitate job success,

leading to higher levels of job satisfaction, and lower

intention to quit (Fong and Choi, 2009).

Limitation of research

One limitation of this research is the measures used to

operationalize turnover intention, which is how long

QS are likely to work in the profession (Y1), and how

long QS are likely to remain in their current companies

(Y2). This is a coarse measure as good job offers and

opportunities might come by unexpectedly, and turn-

over may take place regardless of job characteristics.

The next limitation is that the research did not

differentiate between office-based and site-based QS.

Finally, the Likert scales may not be totally reliable

because different respondents may attach different

values to different points of the scale.

In the light of these limitations, suggestions for future

work are made. The first is to investigate turnover

intention more widely to include other withdrawal cog-

nitions such as thinking of quitting and intent to search

for alternative employment. More sets of data could be

collected, so that sub-samples such as site-based, office-

based, male and female QS’ responses could be ana-

lysed. This way, a more nuanced recommendation to

each group of QS could be made.

Conclusion

The purpose of this research was to examine strategies

for reducing job turnover of QS by identifying job and

jobholder characteristics that affect QS’ likelihood of

staying in the profession or their current firms. The

research method was a questionnaire survey. Data were

collected via e-mail from randomly selected QS work-

ing in Singapore. The data were then analysed using

SPSS software, and Spearman’s Rho correlation analy-

sis and Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted.

Among the eight dimensions of job and jobholder

characteristics posited in Hackman and Oldham’s

(1980) job characteristics theory, it was discovered

that six of them are significantly correlated with QS’

likelihood of staying in the profession and/or their

current firms. When QS have autonomy to make

decisions, are satisfied with the monetary and

non-monetary benefits and find a fit between their

personal traits and the job, they are more likely to stay

in their current firms and the profession. To encour-

age QS not to job hop, the results suggest that

employers should: design jobs that give QS a sense of

accomplishment and chances for promotion; give QS

regular feedback or evaluation; and create a work envi-

ronment that engenders a sense of belonging to the

company.

With the finding that satisfaction with monetary and

non-monetary benefits affects the number of years QS

are likely to stay in the profession and their firms, the

practical implication is the need to offer a competitive

compensation package. It is suggested that employers

conduct market surveys to benchmark salaries, so as to

get the pay quantum right. Benefits may also be pro-

vided after each project is completed successfully, for

example in the form of a special bonus if the project is

profitable or completed below budget.

The results also show that QS who have autonomy

in their jobs are also more likely to stay longer in the

profession and their current firms. The practical

implication of the finding is that QS’ managers and

supervisors should delegate decision making regarding

quantity surveying aspects of the project to the QS.

These include: choosing approximate estimating

method; recommending tendering procedures and

contractual arrangements; advising on whether a piece

of work constitutes a variation or not; and advising on

admissibility of claims.

The theoretical implication of the results is that the

job characteristics theory is partially supported for

retention of QS. Two dimensions in the theory—skill

variety and task identity—are not supported. This

may be because QS use specific skill sets (as opposed

to variety of skills), and construction projects involve

teamwork where QS do not expect to do an identifi-

able piece of work from beginning to end, thus task

identity is not crucial. The other six dimensions

(task significance, autonomy, feedback from the job,

knowledge and skills, growth need strength, and work

context) are supported.

To reduce turnover of QS, employers should first

recruit only those with sufficient technical knowledge

in quantity surveying and who have a right fit to do

quantity surveying job. It is important to provide a

competitive remuneration package comprising mone-

tary and non-monetary benefits. Their jobs should be

designed to allow autonomy in decision making and

give them a sense of accomplishment. Managers

should give feedback regularly on matters such as

accuracy of estimates prepared by QS and suitability

of procurement systems recommended. Employers

also need to inculcate a sense of belonging by being

supportive of QS and sharing the company’s vision

with them. Several job grades and titles should be

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designed so that QS have more chances for promo-

tion. Some examples are: assistant QS, QS, senior

QS, assistant manager, manager, associate, partner

and senior partner. With these measures, employee

turnover of QS might be reduced.

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