Title: Does employee happiness play any mediating role in the relationship between work-life balance and turnover intentions?

Authors: Rajwinder Kaur; Gagandeep Kaur

Addresses: University School of Business, Chandigarh University, Gharuan (Mohali), Punjab, India ' University School of Business, Chandigarh University, Gharuan (Mohali), Punjab, India

Abstract: The subject of academician turnover in private universities is crucial to the higher education industry. Two concepts - work-life balance and employee happiness - are combined to examine academicians' turnover intentions. Here, a thorough model that accounts for work-life balance, employee happiness and turnover intention is put forward. Academicians totalling 392 from private universities in Punjab took part in a questionnaire distributed. The analysis of data is performed by applying structural equation modelling. The findings of the study state that work-life balance and employee happiness have a significant (negative) effect on turnover intentions. Furthermore, the study found a significant (positive) effect of work-life balance on employee happiness. Besides this, the study has discovered the mediation effect of employee happiness and the moderation effect of gender on work-life balance and turnover intentions. The outcomes state that employee happiness partially mediates the association between work-life balance and turnover intentions. From the aspect of organisational human behaviour, this research has significant theoretical and practical ramifications for the turnover intentions of academicians, and it would support the happy teaching environment offered at private universities.

Keywords: academicians; human resource management; moderation; intentions to leave; private universities; work-family conflicts.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2025.149215

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2025 Vol.52 No.2, pp.251 - 274

Received: 02 Jan 2023
Accepted: 03 Aug 2023
Published online: 20 Oct 2025 *

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