My boss is the problem: understanding how and when supervisors with strong bottom-line mentalities impact employees’ turnover intentions

The objective of our research is to extend our understanding of what type of supervisor instigate employees’ turnover intentions. Whereas prior studies focus on abusive, authoritarian, ethical, and service-oriented supervisors, we focus supervisors perceived as having strong bottom-line mentalities (BLMs). We draw on organizational support theory to argue that supervisors perceived as having strong BLMs are poor social exchange partners as they create unsupportive work environments. Thus, supervisor BLM should adversely impact employees’ perceptions of organizational support (POS). By undermining employees’ POS, employees respond with increased levels of turnover intentions. This is particularly the case for employees with relatively high well-being. Across three studies, we find support for our second-stage moderated-mediation model. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.