Some are more equal than others: workplace favoritism and hospital employees’ intent to quit

Purpose – This study refines equity theory by explaining the mediating roles of job frustration and job dissatisfaction, as well as the moderating role of personal income in the relationship between discriminatory workplace favoritism and hospital employees’ intent to quit. Design/methodology/approach – The study consists of two samples. In the first sample, survey questionnaires were administered to 267 public hospital employees in Turkey. In the second sample, 1, 426 university healthcare students in Turkey answered four different scenarios that narrated school favoritism as well as students’ frustration, dissatisfaction and intent to quit. Structural equation modeling and ANOVA statistical analyses were conducted. Findings – Workplace favoritism positively affected employees’ intent to quit through the mediation of job frustration and job dissatisfaction. The mediating role of job frustration between workplace favoritism and intent to quit was stronger for high-income than for low-income employees and students. Practical implications – Favoring one employee may result in voluntary organizational exit by other employees, which is costly for the organization. Favoritism may encourage employees who were not previously prone to favoritism to seek favoritism. This may create a cycle that spreads favoritism further within the organization. Originality/value – This is the first study to investigate the role of income in the relationship between workplace favoritism and employees' intent to quit.