The Influence of Human Resource Management Practices on Employee Voluntary Turnover Rates in the Canadian Non Governmental Sector

The authors tested the influence of thirteen human resource management practices on voluntary turnover rates the following year while controlling for workplace size, the presence of a separate human resources management unit, union density, industry, and region. Analysis of data from 4,160 workplaces in a representative distribution of Canadian industries found that employer-provided training is associated with higher turnover, whereas internal labor markets and formal dispute resolution procedures are associated with lower turnover. The findings are consistent with predictions that some human resource management practices reduce workers' desire to leave and that training may actually make their leaving easier