Assessing The Influence of Work-Life Balance on Attrition Intent: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement among IT Professionals in Chennai
-
https://doi.org/10.14419/ne7mbk71
Received date: August 17, 2025
Accepted date: September 22, 2025
Published date: September 29, 2025
-
Employee Retention; Psychological Well-Being; Flexible Work Practices; Performance Culture -
Abstract
This study investigates how work-life balance (WLB) influences the intention of IT professionals to leave their organizations, with employee engagement examined as a mediating factor. The research is grounded in the context of Chennai’s dynamic IT industry, where long working hours, stress, and role ambiguity have heightened attrition rates. Using a structured questionnaire and a sample of 665 IT professionals, the study employs correlation and regression analyses to explore the relationships among WLB, engagement, and attrition intent. The findings reveal that poor work-life balance significantly increases turnover intent, while higher engagement levels partially mediate this effect. These insights can guide HR practitioners to strengthen retention through targeted engagement strategies and flexible work policies. The technological intensity of the IT sector adds another layer to this dynamic. Agile project cycles, continuous client interactions across time zones, and the constant need to reskill in emerging technologies exacerbate work–life strain and complicate engagement outcomes. These IT-specific demands situate the findings firmly within the applied sciences and highlight the intersection of digital work structures and human capital challenges.
-
References
- Al-Qudah, M. A., & Falahat, M. (2024). The impact of e-HRM tools on employee engagement: Evidence from digital HR practices. Administrative Sciences, 14(11), 303. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14110303.
- Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The job demands–resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115.
- Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(6), 1173–1182. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173.
- Bhattacharyya, S., & Sharma, R. (2023). AI-based HRM tools and techniques: A systematic review. Procedia Computer Science, 222, 1871–1882.
- Bhavani, A., Sundararaman, C. B., & Sridevi, G. (2005). Exploring the influence of employee engagement on attrition intent: A study among IT professionals in Chennai. Degres Journal, 10(7), 279–294.
- Christiana, M. B. V., & Rajan, M. J. S. (2024). Technostress and users of emerging technologies in knowledge-based professions: An Indian outlook. International Journal of Electronic Business, 19(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJEB.2024.135639.
- Gallup. (2020). State of the global workplace report. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace.
- Gadolin, C., Holmström, I., & Andersson, A. (2024). Human-centered AI for personalized workload management: A multimodal study. Journal of Intelligent Systems, 33(4), 6918–6935.
- Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/256287.
- Kumari, S., & Oman, G. (2023). Technostress levels of IT sector employees in the remote working model: A study on Indian IT sector. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 23(8, Ser. 4), 91–95.
- Olasehinde, S. A., Awolaja, A. M., Olukorede, B. B., & Adeniyi, O. (2023). Impact of human resource management on enhancing employee performance. Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(2), 45–54.
- Pansini, M., Buonomo, I., De Vincenzi, C., Ferrara, B., & Benevene, P. (2023). Positioning technostress in the JD-R model perspective: A systematic literature review. Healthcare, 11(3), 446. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030446.
- Pothuganti, S. K., Ramachandra, G. P., & Devi, R. V. (2025). The impact of technostress on employee engagement and well-being. Human Systems Management. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/01672533251331503.
- Prasad, K. D. V., Vaidya, R., & Rani, R. (2023). Remote working and occupational stress: Effects on IT-enabled industry employees in Hyderabad Metro, India. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1069402. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1069402.
- Prem, R., Kubicek, B., Tement, S., & Korunka, C. (2017). The bright and dark sides of technology: The role of technological job demands and resources in explaining technostress and performance. Computers in Human Behavior, 72, 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.02.049.
- Rahman, H., & Singh, T. (2024). Technostress and work exhaustion: Unravelling the mediating role of work-family conflict in post-pandemic remote workers. International Journal of Applied Management Science, 16(3), 261–277. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJAMS.2024.140043.
- Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–619. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169.
- Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two-sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326.
- SHRM Labs. (2023). Employee retention technologies report. Society for Human Resource Management. https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/shrm-labs/documents/222395-SHRMLabs-TechStars-Report-TechnologiesRetention.pdf.
- Tarafdar, M., Turel, O., & Pullins, E. (2024). Technostress: A comprehensive literature review on dimensions, impacts, and mitigation. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 100475. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2024.100475.
- Thakur, P., & Saxena, C. (2025). From technostress to turnover: Examining stress-related drivers of turnover in the Indian IT industry. In M. Madanchian (Ed.), Modern trends and future innovation in human resource management (pp. 105–136). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-6402-4.ch004.
- Tiwari, P., & Shrivastava, D. (2013). Strategies and practices for employee retention in IT industry. International Journal of Research in Business Management, 1(1), 11–18.
- Wang, H., Ding, H., & Kong, X. (2023). Understanding technostress and employee well-being in digital work: The roles of work exhaustion and workplace knowledge diversity. International Journal of Manpower, 44(2), 334–353. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-08-2021-0480.
-
Downloads
-
How to Cite
A, B., C, D. B. S., & G, D. S. (2025). Assessing The Influence of Work-Life Balance on Attrition Intent: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement among IT Professionals in Chennai. International Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 14(5), 923-935. https://doi.org/10.14419/ne7mbk71
