When Task and Contextual Performance Expectations Lead to Burnout, Detachment, and Turnover Intentions at Work

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how emotional burnout and psychological detachment influence employees’ turnover intentions and to examine the mediating effects of expected task performance (ETP) and expected contextual performance (ECP).Method: Participants were selected from the sub-Saharan healthcare industry (N = 150). The collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), and mediation effects were assessed through bootstrapping.Findings: The analysis revealed that emotional burnout increases expectations for both task and contextual performance, whereas detachment shows the opposite pattern. Furthermore, when burnout is present, employees may perceive increased expectations for going above and beyond, which may influence their intention to stay or leave. On the other hand, detachment influences routine task expectations differently and partially mediates turnover intention.Originality: the results indicate that shaping expectations around task and contextual performance under various conditions plays an important role in managing turnover rates.