Turnover voluntário de auditores independentes, estresse e gerações

Abstract

The phenomenon of high turnover rate by employees of audit firms leads to problems such as high operational replacement costs and a decrease in the quality of the audit work (Finn & Donovan, 2013). Audit firms demonstrate concern about retaining and attracting talented professionals to the auditing market, which has a growing demand (IBRACON, 2014). Previous studies have identified that high stress levels affect the intention to remain in the occupation (Chen et al., 2009; Kim & Stoner, 2008; Pflanz & Ogle, 2006). Others revealed that different generations have different perspectives related to work (Kupperschmidt, 2000; Vasconcelos et al., 2010), which can also explain the intention to stay or leave the audit. Based on the following scenario shown above, and the lack of research on the subject that cover these aspects, this research aimed to identify whether the phenomenon of high levels of voluntary turnover (VT) in the career of independent auditors is related to the level of stress of the individual as well as the generation. In order to analyze the phenomenon, an online survey was applied containing the Work Stress Scale – EET (Paschoal & Tamayo, 2004), the Turnover Intention Scale – TIS (Roodt, 2004), translated to Portuguese and questions related to the social profile -demographic. Valid answers were obtained from 451 active auditors in Brazil. In order to approve the research model, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed in order to demonstrate the convergent and discriminant validity, as well as to ensure the reliability of the data. The analysis of the relationships among the variables was performed through structural equation modeling (SEM). A moderate/considerable level of stress was identified in the sample, and Generation Y (1982 – 1995) had a higher average score. The results suggest that, the greater the level of stress, the greater the VT of auditor occupation, this variable is responsible for explaining 45.2% of the phenomenon. The hypotheses that younger generations have a larger VT were also confirmed. The generation variable also had a moderating effect with significant p-value (p = 0.002) and mean f2 (f2 > 0.01) on the relationship among stress and VT. Among the control variables, significance was verified in relation to the size of the firm (Big 4 or not Big 4). It is expected that the research and the explanatory model proposed in the study can help audit companies to understand and manage their employees' stress, reducing turnover intention. For professional bodies and educational institutions, the research can contribute to the formation and retention of talent in the profession, identifying points of attention regarding stress. Future studies may also benefit from the research that, in an unprecedented way, simultaneously addresses stress variables, voluntary turnover and generation, with an instrument tested and validated in an extensive sample of independent auditors working in Brazil, capable of being replicated to include others individuals.