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Article

Burnout as a Path Between Decent Work and Turnover Intention: The Buffering Effect of Calling

by
Liliana Faria
1,2,* and
Sofia Porto
3
1
School of Human and Social Sciences (FCHS), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
2
University Research Center in Psychology, University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
3
School of Management, Hospitality and Tourism (ESGHT), University of Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Soc. Sci. 2026, 15(2), 131; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020131
Submission received: 11 December 2025 / Revised: 12 February 2026 / Accepted: 13 February 2026 / Published: 17 February 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Job Stress and Burnout: Emerging Issues in Today’s Workplace)
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Abstract

Rapid workplace changes have been associated with increased burnout and turnover intention. This study investigates the mechanisms linking decent work to employees’ turnover intention through a moderated mediation framework, in which burnout mediates the association between decent work and turnover intention, and career calling is hypothesized to moderate both the effect of decent work on burnout and the effect of burnout on turnover intention. A cross-sectional sample of 225 employees from diverse sectors in Portugal completed self-report measures. Data were analyzed using PROCESS, with 5000 bootstrap resamples. Decent work was negatively related to burnout, which in turn predicted higher turnover intention, supporting the mediating role of burnout. Career calling moderated the association between decent work and burnout, with the indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout significant at moderate and high levels of calling, but not low levels, indicating a partially supported moderated mediation. These findings highlight burnout as a key mechanism linking decent work to turnover intention, show that career calling amplifies the protective effect of decent work, and underscore the relevance of strategies aimed at fostering healthier, resilient, and sustainable workplaces.

1. Introduction

Employee turnover represents a significant challenge for organizations, undermining operational continuity and increasing recruitment and training costs, while negatively affecting service quality (Hur 2025; Jurij et al. 2023). Within this context, decent work, characterized by job security, fairness, dignity, opportunities for development, and adequate remuneration (Duffy et al. 2017; International Labour Organization 2015), has been consistently associated with lower turnover intention and is increasingly recognized as a key organizational resource. In contrast, burnout, defined as a psychological syndrome involving emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, is a robust predictor of employees’ intentions to leave their organizations (Maslach and Leiter 2016). Additionally, career calling, understood as a deep sense of purpose and meaning in one’s work (Dik and Duffy 2007; Duffy and Dik 2013), has been shown to mitigate the detrimental effects of work-related stress and burnout.
Although previous research has independently examined the roles of decent work, burnout, and career calling in predicting turnover intention (e.g., Duffy et al. 2019; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b), relatively few studies have integrated organizational and personal resources within a single conditional framework that simultaneously accounts for mediation and moderation processes. Prior research suggests that career calling can buffer the impact of job stressors on burnout, particularly in specific professional contexts such as healthcare and education (Jin et al. 2023; Xie et al. 2024; Zhao et al. 2022). However, evidence remains limited regarding whether these mechanisms operate similarly across diverse occupational sectors and how calling interacts with broader structural work conditions, such as decent work.
Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model (Bakker and Demerouti 2017) and the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT; Blustein 2008; Duffy et al. 2016), the present study aims to examine the mechanisms linking decent work to employees’ turnover intention through a moderated mediation framework. Unlike previous studies that focused on specific professional contexts or examined career calling independently, the present study integrates organizational (decent work) and personal (career calling) resources within a single conditional process model across diverse occupational sectors. This approach highlights the circumstances under which career calling may amplify the protective effect of decent work on burnout and turnover intention, providing a comprehensive understanding of how organizational and personal resources interact to support employee well-being and retention.
By extending the investigation beyond sector-specific samples, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of the interplay between personal and organizational resources. Beyond testing these relationships, it offers theoretical insights into how these resources interact and provides practical guidance for fostering employee well-being and promoting long-term retention across diverse occupational settings.

2. Literature Review and Hypothesis Development

2.1. Decent Work and Turnover Intention

Work is an essential part of people’s lives, closely linked to a sense of accomplishment and to physical and mental well-being (Blustein 2008). The concept of decent work emerged at the macro level to promote productive labor opportunities characterized by freedom, equality, security, and dignity (International Labour Organization 1999). It was later incorporated into the PWT at the micro level, which includes a safe environment, adequate remuneration, medical security, leisure time, and alignment of values with family and community (Duffy et al. 2016; Duffy et al. 2017).
Empirical studies show that decent work satisfies basic psychological needs such as survival, social connection, and self-determination, thereby promoting professional fulfillment, well-being, and mental health (Autin et al. 2019; Duffy et al. 2019, 2021; Kozan et al. 2019; Su and Chan 2023). In addition, adequate working conditions enhance engagement, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction, while reducing stress and burnout, which in turn decreases turnover intention (Chinyamurindi and Mashavira 2024; Ferraro et al. 2020; Hult et al. 2024; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b). Conversely, inadequate conditions, unsatisfactory remuneration, and inconsistent values are associated with organizational turnover (Arnoux-Nicolas et al. 2016; Chada et al. 2022; Moynihan and Pandey 2008; Singh and Loncar 2010).
The JD-R model explains this mechanism: labor resources strengthen motivation, prevent burnout, and promote commitment, reducing the likelihood of turnover (Bakker et al. 2005; Bakker and Demerouti 2017; Bakker and de Vries 2021). Jobs perceived as decent typically provide supervisory support, organizational justice, psychological safety, and opportunities for growth, recognized predictors of retention (Xue et al. 2024a; Hult et al. 2024; Zheng et al. 2024). Other studies show that environments promote dignity, voice, and workplace justice, central elements of decent work, reduce feelings of insecurity and vulnerability, both predictors of turnover intention, especially in precarious employment contexts (Chada et al. 2022; Hom et al. 2017; Hult et al. 2024; Kim and Kim 2021; Vough et al. 2025). The absence of decent conditions is associated with withdrawal phenomena such as cynicism, disengagement, and actively seeking alternative career paths (Autin et al. 2023). Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed.
Hypothesis 1 (H1) (total association):
Higher levels of decent work are associated with lower levels of turnover intention.

2.2. Burnout and Turnover Intention

Burnout, defined by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment, is a key predictor of turnover intention (Arnoux-Nicolas et al. 2016; Maslach and Leiter 2016). Its intensity and manifestation vary by sector: healthcare and care workers face high emotional and physical demands, with precarious conditions increasing burnout and turnover risk (Hult et al. 2024); teachers and counselors experience burnout due to workload, emotional labor, and role complexity (Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b; He et al. 2024); corporate employees are often affected by organizational stressors and low autonomy (Chinyamurindi and Mashavira 2024).
High burnout consistently predicts greater turnover intention across sectors (e.g., Chinyamurindi and Mashavira 2024; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b). These findings underscore the importance of considering both sector-specific demands and organizational resources when examining burnout and turnover.

2.3. The Mediating Role of Burnout

Decent work provides structural and psychological resources that help prevent burnout. Fair, safe working conditions that foster autonomy, growth, and organizational support are linked to lower levels of emotional exhaustion and psychological burnout (Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b). Workers who perceive their environment as decent are therefore less likely to experience burnout, creating a mechanism through which decent work indirectly reduces turnover intention (e.g., Duffy et al. 2019, 2021; Su and Chan 2023; Wan and Duffy 2022; Xue et al. 2024b).
These findings support the hypothesis that burnout mediates the relationship between decent work and turnover intention. The protective effect of decent work on organizational retention is not limited to a direct relationship: by improving working conditions and providing adequate resources, burnout is reduced, which in turn decreases turnover intention (e.g., Chinyamurindi and Mashavira 2024; Wu et al. 2025; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b). Thus, the following hypothesis is proposed.
Hypothesis 2 (H2) (mediation):
Burnout mediates the association between decent work and turnover intention.

2.4. The Moderating Role of Career Calling

Career calling is defined as a deep sense of purpose and meaning related to one’s career, guiding choices, motivation, and behaviors toward meaningful goals (Dik and Duffy 2007; Duffy and Dik 2013; Duffy et al. 2015). Serving as a motivational and psychological resource, calling is linked to greater engagement, persistence, and adaptive coping strategies when facing professional demands (Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas 2011; Hirschi 2011). According to the JD-R model, personal resources such as calling can buffer the impact of job demands on strain outcomes, enabling individuals to better mobilize coping strategies under stress (Bakker and de Vries 2021).
Individuals with a strong calling perceive work as intrinsically meaningful, engage in positive reappraisal, and demonstrate greater commitment and resilience, which protect against burnout in demanding contexts (Bunderson and Thompson 2009; Duffy et al. 2019; Steger et al. 2012). Empirical evidence supports this protective effect: Jin et al. (2023) and Xie et al. (2024) found that calling reduces the relationship between work stressors and burnout among healthcare professionals; Dalla Rosa et al. (2024) observed lower burnout and turnover intention during the pandemic; similar effects were reported among teachers (Zhao et al. 2022), nurses (Zhang et al. 2023), and professional counselors (He et al. 2024).
Beyond its role in buffering burnout, career calling is associated with lower turnover intention, both directly and indirectly via work engagement and adaptive coping. For instance, Lin et al. (2025) found that higher calling was strongly negatively correlated with turnover intention, partially mediated by engagement, such that calling increased engagement, which in turn reduced turnover intention. Related research shows that calling can moderate stress–strain processes, with individuals reporting high calling exhibiting lower emotional exhaustion and weaker burnout–turnover links under demanding conditions (Hong et al. 2023; Dalla Rosa et al. 2024).
Collectively, these findings indicate that career calling not only reduces turnover intention through enhanced engagement and psychological resources but may also buffer the progression from burnout to turnover motivation. This body of evidence supports the inclusion of calling as a moderator in the conditional process linking decent work, burnout, and turnover intention. Therefore, we propose Hypothesis 3 (moderate mediation):
Hypothesis 3 (H3):
The indirect association of decent work with turnover intention via burnout is conditional on employees’ levels of career calling, such that career calling moderates both the association between decent work and burnout and the association between burnout and turnover intention.

2.5. Theoretical Model

The theoretical model of the current research is presented in Figure 1. In this model, burnout mediates the association between decent work and turnover intention, while career calling is hypothesized to moderate both the association between decent work and burnout and the association between burnout and turnover intention. As a result, the indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout is proposed to be conditional on employees’ levels of career calling, reflecting a moderated mediation (conditional process) framework. This approach allows us to examine the conditions under which decent work is most beneficial for employee well-being and retention across diverse occupational contexts.

3. Materials and Methods

3.1. Participants

The sample consisted of 225 professionally active workers residing in Portugal at the time of data collection. Participants’ ages ranged from 21 to 65 years (M = 44.2, SD = 10.3), with the largest groups represented in the 41–50 years (45.3%), 51–60 years (20.4%), and 21–30 years (16.4%). The remaining participants were distributed across 31–40 years (12.0%) and 61–65 years (5.9%). Regarding gender, 64.9% of participants identified as women, 34.7% as men, and 0.4% as another gender. Most of the sample was Portuguese (94.7%), with a small proportion of Brazilian nationals (5.3%).
Professionally, 37.8% of participants worked in the public sector and 62.2% in the private sector. The most represented professional fields included Management, Finance, and Private Administration (36.4%), Public Administration (20.3%), and Commerce and Retail (16.8%), with smaller proportions in Education and Training (10.7%), Health and Social Work (7.6%), Marketing and Design (3.8%), Industry and Logistics (2.6%), and Information Technology (1.8%).
Participants’ professional experience varied widely. The smallest group had less than five years of experience (16.7%), followed by 6–15 years (20.7%). The largest groups were those with 16–25 years (25.7%) and 26–39 years (31%) of experience, while participants with 40 years or more accounted for 5.9% of the sample.
The sample of 225 participants was selected to ensure sufficient statistical power for the moderated mediation model, exceeding the recommended 107 participants for medium effect sizes (Cohen 1992) and allowing robust detection of conditional indirect effects (Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b).

3.2. Measures

All scales used total scores in analyses to capture overall constructs, justified using the PROCESS Macro for aggregate effects rather than subscale-specific paths.
Decent Work: Measured using the Decent Work Scale (Duffy et al. 2017; Portuguese adaptation: Ferreira et al. 2019). This 15-item questionnaire includes items such as “I feel emotionally safe when interacting with people at work” and “My organization’s values match my family’s values.” Responses were on a 7-point scale (1 = totally disagree to 7 = totally agree), with higher scores indicating greater perception of decent work. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.905 in the current study.
Turnover Intention: Measured using the Turnover Intention Scale (Bozeman and Perrewé 2001; Portuguese adaptation: Cesário and Chambel 2017). This 3-item questionnaire includes items such as “If I could, I would quit my job today” and “Right now, I would like to stay in my job as long as possible” (reverse-scored). Participants rated items on a 5-point scale (1 = totally disagree to 5 = totally agree). The Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.748 in the current study.
Burnout: Measured using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (Kristensen et al. 2005; Portuguese validation: Fonte 2011), with 19 items assessing emotional and physical exhaustion (e.g., “How often do you feel tired?”, “Is your job emotionally draining?”). Participants rated all items on a 5-point scale (1 = never to 5 = always), with higher scores indicating more frequent physical and emotional exhaustion. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.936 in the current study.
Career Calling: Measured using the Vocation and Calling Questionnaire (Dik et al. 2012; Portuguese adaptation: Coelho et al. 2023). This 19-item questionnaire includes items such as “I try to live my life purposefully when I am at work”, “My work helps me live my life purposefully”. Participants rated all items on a 5-point scale (1 = totally disagree to 5 = totally agree). Higher scores indicated a greater level of career calling. Cronbach’s alpha for this scale was 0.879 in the current study.
The control variables included gender (0 = male; 1 = female), sector (0 = public; 1 = private), and professional field. Professional field was dummy-coded to account for occupational differences. The largest categories: Management, Finance, & Private Administration, Public Administration, and Commerce & Retail, served as reference groups. The remaining categories with smaller representation (Education & Training, Health & Social Work, Marketing & Design, Industry & Logistics, and Information Technology) were included as separate dummy variables. Each dummy indicates whether a participant belongs to that professional field (1) or not (0), with coefficients interpreted relative to the reference categories.

3.3. Procedure

The study was conducted after approval from the data protection officer and the ethics committee of the authors’ university. All participants were fully informed about the study’s objectives, data confidentiality, the voluntary nature of participation, and their right to withdraw at any time.
Data were collected between October and December 2024 using a digital questionnaire hosted on the Google Forms platform. The questionnaire included a section on sociodemographic characteristics and another with the measures described in the previous section. To minimize potential social desirability effects, and in line with established methodological recommendations (Koopmans et al. 2016), the names of the scales and their dimensions were not disclosed to participants during completion.
The participation link was distributed through social media (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp) and the investigators’ professional networks, using a non-probabilistic, convenience, purposive, and snowball sampling strategy. This approach aimed to maximize reach and ensure sufficient sociodemographic diversity for analyzing the relationships between decent work, burnout, calling, and turnover intention. The average completion time was 20 to 30 min, and no incentives or rewards were offered. All items in the questionnaire were mandatory, so all 225 participants completed every section; no missing data occurred.

3.4. Data Analysis

Data were analyzed using SPSS version 29.0 and the PROCESS Macro (Hayes 2013). Preliminary analyses included descriptive statistics, skewness and kurtosis, and Cronbach’s alpha to assess normality and internal consistency of the study variables. Harman’s Single-Factor Test was conducted to examine potential common method variance. In addition, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to evaluate the alignment of items with their respective constructs and to assess the overall adequacy of the measurement model.
Correlations were calculated to examine the strength and direction of associations among the study variables, providing an initial assessment prior to moderation analyses. Next, the PROCESS Macro for SPSS (Hayes 2013) was used to test the mediating effect of burnout on the relationship between perceptions of decent work and turnover intention, as well as the moderating effect of calling on the mediating effect.
To ensure stable and reliable estimates of the mediation and moderation pathways, 5000 bootstrap samples were used, and confidence intervals for mediating effects were estimated using the non-parametric bootstrap method with bias correction. If the confidence interval does not include zero, the mediating effect is considered statistically significant; otherwise, it is not significant (Hayes 2013).
All variables, except demographic ones, were standardized before analyzing the moderated mediation model to ensure comparability of the scales and proper interpretation of the coefficients, accounting for differences in the number of items across constructs.

4. Results

4.1. Test of Common Method Bias

All variables were collected using self-report questionnaires administered at a single time point. To minimize potential common method bias, participants were assured that their responses would remain confidential. To further assess common method bias, a single-factor Harman test was conducted (Podsakoff et al. 2003). The results showed that the first component accounted for 39.1% of the total variance, which is below the 50% threshold suggestive of substantial common method bias (Tang and Wen 2020). Additionally, the component matrix mixed factor loadings across variables, suggesting that variance was not dominated by a single factor. These findings suggest that common method bias is unlikely to represent a major concern in the present data.

4.2. Preliminary Analysis

Descriptive statistics and internal consistency for the study variables are presented in Table 1. Skewness and kurtosis values indicated that all variables fell within acceptable ranges for the use of parametric analyses. Skewness values ranged from −1.128 to 1.899, and kurtosis values ranged from 0.38 to 5.994, which are considered acceptable given the sample size (N = 225). These results suggest an adequate approximation to normality for all study variables. All Cronbach’s alpha coefficients exceeded 0.70, indicating satisfactory internal consistency.
A CFA was conducted to evaluate the measurement properties of the study constructs. Given the moderate sample size (N = 225) and the number of items per scale, individual CFAs were first conducted for each construct (Decent Work, Burnout, Career Calling, and Turnover Intention) to assess convergent validity. All factor loadings were statistically significant and above 0.50, supporting convergent validity for each construct. Following this, a full measurement model including all constructs simultaneously was tested to examine discriminant validity. Discriminant validity was supported, as the AVE for each construct exceeded 0.50 and was greater than the squared correlations with other constructs (Fornell and Larcker 1981). In addition, the fit indices for the full measurement model indicated acceptability if χ2 = 2359.159 (p < 0.001); χ2/df = 2.595; RMSEA = 0.075; IFI = 0.902; CFI = 0.901; PNFI = 0.780; and PGFI = 0.630. While conventional benchmarks often recommend CFI and IFI ≥ 0.95 for excellent fit, values around 0.90 are generally considered acceptable for complex models with moderate sample sizes (Kline 2016; Hair et al. 2019). The RMSEA indicates reasonable fit, and PNFI and PGFI suggest good parsimony. It should be noted that some professional field subgroups (e.g., Information Technology) were underrepresented in the sample, which may limit the generalizability of the measurement results across specific occupational groups. Overall, these results justified the use of composite scores for subsequent analyses while acknowledging limitations related to sample size and subgroup distribution.
Correlation analyses (Table 1) indicated that higher levels of decent work were associated with lower turnover intention (r = −0.132, p < 0.05), providing initial support for Hypothesis 1 at the bivariate level. It is important to note that Hypothesis 1 refers to the total association between decent work and turnover intention, whereas subsequent regression analyses distinguish between total, direct, and indirect effects as required for mediation testing.
Additionally, decent work was negatively associated with burnout (r = −0.259, p < 0.01), while burnout was positively associated with turnover intention (r = 0.489, p < 0.01), suggesting that burnout may function as an associated mechanism linking perceptions of decent work and turnover intention.
The control variables (gender, sector, and professional field dummy variables) showed generally low correlations with the main study variables (all r < |0.10|). Including these variables as covariates was therefore considered appropriate to account for potential confounding influences without substantially altering the observed associations. Specifically, gender and sector showed minimal associations with decent work, burnout, turnover intention, and calling, and the dummy-coded professional areas similarly demonstrated low correlations, indicating that occupational differences are unlikely to bias the main effects.
These preliminary findings provided the rationale for testing the proposed mediation (H2) and moderated mediation (H3) models.

4.3. Testing for Mediating Role of Burnout

The mediating role of burnout in the association between decent work and turnover intention was examined using PROCESS Model 4 (Hayes 2013), with 5000 bootstrap resamples, controlling for gender, sector, and professional field. The results are shown in Table 2.
Model 1 tested the direct association between decent work and turnover intention without including the mediator. Decent work was not significantly associated with turnover intention (β = 0.034, t = 0.555, p = 0.582), and none of the covariates were significant at this stage. Although the total association was significant in correlation analyses (r = −0.132, p < 0.05), the non-significant direct effect in the regression highlights the potential mediating role of burnout.
Model 2 examined burnout as the outcome. Decent work was negatively associated with burnout (β = −0.208, t = −3.18, p = 0.002), indicating that employees reporting higher perceptions of decent work experienced lower burnout levels. Gender was also significant (β = −0.271, t = −2.01, p = 0.046), with women reporting higher burnout. Some sector and professional field variables reached marginal significance (Health and Social Work β ≈ +0.15, p ≈ 0.07; IT β ≈ −0.14, p ≈ 0.08). The model explained 10.2% of the variance in burnout (R2 = 0.102, F(8, 216) ≈ 3.06, p < 0.01). These results support the protective association between decent work and burnout, consistent with the proposed mechanism in H2.
Model 3 examined turnover intention as the outcome, including both burnout and decent work as predictors. Burnout was positively associated with turnover intention (β = 0.487, t = 7.65, p < 0.001), while the direct effect of decent work remained non-significant (β = 0.031, t = 0.501, p = 0.618), consistent with a pattern of indirect-only mediation. Gender, sector, and professional field covariates were not significant. The model explained 24.1% of the variance in turnover intention (R2 = 0.241, F(9, 215) ≈ 7.51, p < 0.001).
Bootstrap analyses confirmed that the indirect association of decent work with turnover intention via burnout was statistically significant (Effect = −0.101, BootSE = 0.036, 95% CI [−0.175, −0.039]), supporting an indirect-only mediation pattern (H2). The inclusion of covariates did not meaningfully alter these associations, indicating that the mediating effect is robust across occupational groups.
Overall, these results provide strong evidence that burnout serves as a key mechanism linking decent work to turnover intention, highlighting the importance of addressing burnout to enhance employee retention.

4.4. Testing for Moderated Mediation

A moderated mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Model 59 (Hayes 2013) with 5000 bootstrap resamples to examine whether career calling moderated the association between decent work and burnout, and whether the indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout varied across levels of calling. Gender, sector, and professional field (dummy-coded) were included as covariates (Table 3).
Model 1, with burnout as the outcome, indicated that the main effect of decent work on burnout did not reach conventional significance (β = −0.573, t = −1.87, p = 0.064), whereas career calling showed a small positive association with burnout (β = 0.011, t = 2.02, p = 0.044). Importantly, the interaction between decent work and career calling was statistically significant (β = −0.013, t = −2.74, p = 0.007), indicating that the protective effect of decent work on burnout varies across levels of career calling. Gender was also significantly associated with burnout (β = −0.281, t = −2.15, p = 0.032), whereas sector was not (β = 0.106, p = 0.424). Some professional field dummies reached marginal significance (Education & Training: β = 0.029, p = 0.041; Marketing & Design: β = 0.015, p = 0.022; Industry & Logistics: β = −0.022, p = 0.029). The model explained 12.2% of the variance in burnout (R2 = 0.122, F(5, 219) = 6.08, p < 0.001).
Conditional effect analyses showed that the negative association between decent work and burnout was not statistically significant at low levels of calling (16th percentile; β = −0.096, p = 0.265), but was significant at moderate (50th percentile; β = −0.270, p < 0.001), and high levels of calling (84th percentile; β = −0.431, p < 0.001). This pattern indicates that career calling amplifies the protective effect of decent work on burnout, with stronger reductions in burnout observed for employees with higher levels of calling. Figure 2 illustrates this interaction. The negative association between decent work and burnout is stronger for individuals with higher levels of career calling (red line, +1 SD) compared to those with average (green line) or lower levels of calling (blue line, −1 SD). For participants with high career calling, increases in perceptions of decent work are associated with a more pronounced reduction in burnout, whereas for those with low calling, the protective effect of decent work is weaker. This figure visually demonstrates that career calling amplifies the beneficial effect of decent work on reducing burnout, highlighting the conditional nature of the relationship.
Model 2, with turnover intention as the outcome, indicated that neither burnout (β = 0.473, t = 1.49, p = 0.137), decent work (β = 0.219, p = 0.463), career calling (β = −0.004, p = 0.396), sector (β = −0.048, p = 0.704), nor gender (β = 0.203, t = 1.65, p = 0.100) were significantly associated with turnover intention. The professional field dummy variables and the interaction terms (Decent Work × Calling, Burnout × Calling) were also not significant. The model explained 23.9% of the variance in turnover intention (R2 = 0.239, F(7, 217) = 9.78, p < 0.001). Although burnout was significant in the simple mediation model, the direct effect did not reach conventional significance in this more complex moderated mediation model, likely due to redistribution of variance across predictors. However, bootstrap confidence intervals confirmed that the conditional indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout was significant at moderate and high levels of career calling, indicating that the mediating role of burnout remains meaningful when considering the moderator.
Bootstrap analyses indicated that the indirect association between decent work and turnover intention through burnout varied across levels of career calling: low calling (β = −0.047, 95% CI [−0.147, 0.035]; not significant), moderate calling (β = −0.135, 95% CI [−0.212, −0.067]; significant), and high calling (β = −0.217, 95% CI [−0.332, −0.113]; significant). These results confirm a conditional indirect effect, indicating that the mediating role of burnout is contingent on employees’ levels of career calling, but this conditionality is driven primarily by the first pathway (Decent Work → Burnout).
Overall, adjusting for gender, sector, and professional field did not materially change the pattern of results. Therefore, Hypothesis 3 is considered partially supported, as career calling moderated the association between decent work and burnout, but not the association between burnout and turnover intention. The conditional indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout was stronger for employees with moderate and high calling, highlighting the conditional nature of the mediation. These findings clarify that the protective effect of decent work on turnover intention operates through burnout, particularly for employees with moderate to high levels of career calling.

5. Discussion

This study examined the associations between decent work and turnover intention, testing burnout as a mediating mechanism and career calling as a moderator. The findings provide insight into psychosocial processes influencing employee retention in Portugal and contribute to a still-limited body of literature in this context.
Consistent with Hypothesis 1, correlation analyses indicated that higher perceptions of decent work were associated with lower turnover intention, although the direct effect of decent work on turnover intention was not significant in regression analyses. This suggests that decent work may influence retention primarily through underlying mechanisms rather than via a direct pathway, highlighting the importance of intermediary processes such as burnout. This effect can be understood through the lens of basic psychological needs: decent work satisfies needs for survival, social connection, and self-determination, which in turn may reduce emotional exhaustion and withdrawal tendencies (Autin et al. 2019; Duffy et al. 2019, 2021).
Hypothesis 2 was fully supported: burnout mediated the association between decent work and turnover intention. Employees perceiving higher levels of decent work reported lower burnout, which in turn was associated with reduced turnover intention. These findings align with literature linking fair, safe, and supportive work conditions to lower emotional exhaustion and withdrawal tendencies (Duffy et al. 2019, 2021; Su and Chan 2023; Wan and Duffy 2022; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b), and are consistent with the JDR model (Bakker and Demerouti 2017) and the PWT (Blustein et al. 2019; Duffy et al. 2016; Kozan et al. 2019). Moreover, the protective effect of decent work may also operate through perceptions of justice, dignity, and voice in the workplace, particularly in contexts of job insecurity or precarious employment, which have been shown to reduce vulnerability to turnover (Chada et al. 2022; Hult et al. 2024; Vough et al. 2025). These results reinforce the idea that emotional exhaustion functions as a central mechanism linking organizational resources to retention.
Regarding Hypothesis 3, the moderated mediation analysis provided partial support. Career calling moderated the association between decent work and burnout: the negative effect of decent work on burnout was significant for employees with moderate-to-high calling but negligible for those with low calling. However, career calling did not significantly moderate the association between burnout and turnover intention, indicating that its conditional role is primarily on the first pathway (Decent Work → Burnout). Consequently, the conditional indirect effect of decent work on turnover intention via burnout was significant for moderate and high calling, supporting a partially moderated mediation model. These findings can be interpreted considering research showing that career calling enhances engagement and adaptive coping strategies, which buffer the impact of work stressors on burnout (Dalla Rosa et al. 2024; Lin et al. 2025; Hong et al. 2023), thus strengthening the first stage of the pathway while having a weaker influence on the burnout → turnover link. This emphasizes that the protective effect of organizational resources on employee well-being is enhanced by personal resources, consistent with the JD-R model and PWT (Bunderson and Thompson 2009; Zhao et al. 2022).
Interestingly, career calling also showed a small direct association with burnout, suggesting that in some contexts, calling may have ambiguous effects. While generally considered a protective personal resource, prior research has noted that strong vocational orientations can increase emotional investment and self-imposed standards, potentially heightening vulnerability to exhaustion under demanding conditions (Bunderson and Thompson 2009; Dobrow and Tosti-Kharas 2011; Duffy et al. 2019). From a PWT perspective, calling may only provide protective effects when aligned with supportive work conditions and values congruence; without these, personal motives may exacerbate strain (Blustein et al. 2019; Duffy et al. 2016). Thus, calling may function both as a resource and as a potential risk factor depending on the balance between personal and contextual resources.
Gender, sector, and professional field were included as covariates and showed minimal associations with the main study variables, indicating that the observed patterns are largely consistent across occupational groups. Given that burnout intensity varies across sectors due to differences in workload, emotional labor, and structural demands (Hult et al. 2024; Xue et al. 2024a, 2024b; He et al. 2024), the consistency of our findings suggests that decent work exerts a broadly protective effect across diverse contexts. While burnout and turnover intention are influenced by multiple factors, the present findings highlight the joint influence of organizational and personal resources on employee well-being and retention, reinforcing the value of multifaceted explanatory models. The variance explained in burnout (R2 = 12.2%) and turnover intention (R2 = 23.9%) suggests that additional job-specific, organizational, or personal factors may further shape these processes.
Taken together, the results provide robust evidence that burnout is a central mechanism linking decent work to turnover intention (H2), and that career calling amplifies the protective effect of decent work on burnout, leading to a conditional indirect effect on turnover intention (H3 partially supported). Furthermore, decent work may contribute to retention not only by reducing burnout but also by promoting alignment of work with employees’ broader values, including family and community, enhancing overall well-being (Duffy et al. 2016, 2017). These findings demonstrate that the impact of decent work is not uniform but contingent on employees’ psychological characteristics, particularly their sense of vocation. Overall, this study contributes to a more integrated and contextualized understanding of retention processes and offers practical insights for designing interventions that leverage both organizational and personal resources.

5.1. Theoretical and Practical Implications

This study contributes to the PWT by demonstrating that organizational (decent work) and personal (career calling) resources jointly influence employee well-being and retention, and extends the JD-R model by providing empirical support for the role of perceived purpose and meaning in work as personal resources that strengthen the relationship between supportive working conditions and well-being outcomes.
From a practical perspective, organizations may benefit from designing interventions that enhance both working conditions and employees’ sense of purpose, such as mentoring programs, purpose-aligned task assignments, and opportunities for professional growth. These strategies may be particularly effective for employees with moderate or high career calling, as their perceptions of calling amplify the protective effects of decent work on burnout.
Given the central role of burnout in linking decent work to turnover intention, initiatives focusing on mental health, stress management, and resilience training are also warranted. Taken together, these results suggest that integrated approaches targeting both organizational and individual resources are likely to yield more favorable retention-related outcomes, with the effectiveness of such strategies conditioned by employees’ vocational orientations.

5.2. Limitations and Future Directions

Despite its contributions, the study has several limitations. Firstly, the cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences, limiting conclusions about the directionality of the relationships among decent work, burnout, and turnover intention. Future longitudinal or experimental research is needed to test temporal ordering and the causal assumptions underlying the observed mediation and moderated mediation patterns. Secondly, the sample was obtained through convenience and snowball sampling, which may limit representativeness and generalizability to the wider population of Portuguese workers. Future studies should recruit larger and more diverse samples to validate these findings across contexts. Thirdly, socio-demographic variables such as education and income were not collected, which may influence perceptions of work, burnout, and calling. Fourthly, although career calling functioned as a moderator in the association between decent work and burnout, it did not moderate the burnout–turnover pathway, highlighting the partial nature of the moderation. Moreover, the measure of calling may not capture all dimensions of vocational meaning, and its associations may vary across professional fields. Future research could explore alternative operationalizations of calling and examine its role in different occupational contexts to provide a more nuanced understanding of personal and organizational resource interplay.
Finally, additional factors not included in the present model—such as organizational support, job-specific demands, work–life balance, psychological capital, career length, and occupational context—may further explain variance in burnout and turnover intention. Replications using longitudinal designs, diverse cultural and occupational samples, and qualitative approaches may provide deeper insight into how career calling is experienced and how different aspects of decent work influence well-being and retention.

6. Conclusions

This study identified that higher perceptions of decent work are associated with lower burnout, particularly among employees with moderate-to-high levels of career calling, and that burnout mediates the association between decent work and turnover intention. Career calling partially moderates these associations, specifically strengthening the protective effect of decent work on burnout but not the association between burnout and turnover intention.
These findings advance the PWT and extend the JD-R model by illustrating the conditional interplay of organizational and personal resources in shaping employee well-being and retention. From an applied perspective, workplace practices that combine improvements in working conditions with support for employees’ vocational development may reduce burnout and turnover intention. Integrating organizational and individual-level interventions can thus promote sustainable, supportive, and evidence-based work environments.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, L.F. and S.P.; methodology, L.F. and S.P.; software, S.P.; validation, L.F. and S.P.; formal analysis, L.F. and S.P.; investigation, S.P.; resources, L.F.; data curation, S.P.; writing—original draft preparation, L.F.; writing—review and editing, L.F.; supervision, L.F. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Algarve. All procedures were conducted in accordance with local legislation, institutional guidelines, and the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. No. 100/2024, 29 October 2024.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.

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Socsci 15 00131 g001
Figure 1. Theoretical model of the current research.
Figure 1. Theoretical model of the current research.
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Socsci 15 00131 g002
Figure 2. Visualization of moderation effect.
Figure 2. Visualization of moderation effect.
Socsci 15 00131 g002
Table 1. Descriptive statistics and correlations between variables.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics and correlations between variables.
MSDSkewnessKurtosisCronbach’s α1234567891011
1. Decent work4.211.27−1.1281.6490.9051
2. Turnover intention2.790.66−0.4040.380.748−0.132 *1
3. Burnout2.830.810.8945.9940.936−0.259 **0.489 **1
4. Calling3.310.651.8995.9940.8790.154 *0.0170.0931
5. Gender −0.0450.0560.031−0.0121
6. Sector 0.067−0.0720.1020.045−0.0011
7. E&T 0.034−0.0150.0210.0120.0080.0051
8. H&SW 0.0100.0040.037−0.022−0.0030.0090.0201
9. M&D −0.0210.012−0.0180.007−0.0060.0110.0020.0031
10. I&L 0.008−0.0080.0120.0030.002−0.0050.0010.0060.0091
11. IT −0.0120.005−0.0060.0010.0010.002−0.0020.0030.0040.0011
Note: ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05; E&T = Education and Training; H&SW = Health and Social Work; M&D = Marketing and Design; I&L = Industry and Logistics; IT = Information Technology.
Table 2. Analysis of mediation effects.
Table 2. Analysis of mediation effects.
PredictorModel 1:
Turnover Intention		Model 2:
Burnout		Model 3:
Turnover Intention
βTβtβt
Gender0.1981.551−0.271 *−2.010.1901.50
Sector−0.041−0.0330.0580.046−0.038−0.030
E&T0.0290.0410.0761.100.0220.034
H&SW0.0610.0880.1520.1820.0550.082
M&D0.0150.0220.0630.0920.0110.017
I&L−0.022−0.0290.0410.060−0.018−0.024
IT−0.047−0.066−0.138−1.78−0.042−0.060
Decent work0.0340.555−0.208 **−3.1830.0310.501
Burnout 0.487 ***7.65
R20.0210.1020.241
F0.803.06 **7.51 ***
Note: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05. E&T = Education and Training; H&SW = Health and Social Work; M&D = Marketing and Design; I&L = Industry and Logistics; IT = Information Technology.
Table 3. Analysis of moderated mediation.
Table 3. Analysis of moderated mediation.
PredictorModel 1: BurnoutModel 2: Turnover Intention
βtβt
Gender−0.281−2.15 *0.2031.65
Sector0.1060.97−0.048−0.38
E&T0.0292.04 *0.0220.18
H&SW0.0611.730.0550.45
M&D0.0152.29 *0.0110.09
I&L−0.022−2.18 *−0.018−0.15
IT−0.047−1.84−0.042−0.34
Decent work−0.573−1.870.2190.73
Calling0.0112.02 *−0.004−0.801
Burnout 0.4731.49
Decent work * Calling−0.013−2.74 **
Burnout * Calling 0.00040.032
R20.122R2 = 0.239
FF(5.219) = 6.08 ***F(7,217) = 9.78 ***
Note: *** p < 0.001, ** p < 0.01, * p < 0.05. E&T = Education and Training; H&SW = Health and Social Work; M&D = Marketing and Design; I&L = Industry and Logistics; IT = Information Technology.
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Faria, L.; Porto, S. Burnout as a Path Between Decent Work and Turnover Intention: The Buffering Effect of Calling. Soc. Sci. 2026, 15, 131. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020131

AMA Style

Faria L, Porto S. Burnout as a Path Between Decent Work and Turnover Intention: The Buffering Effect of Calling. Social Sciences. 2026; 15(2):131. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020131

Chicago/Turabian Style

Faria, Liliana, and Sofia Porto. 2026. "Burnout as a Path Between Decent Work and Turnover Intention: The Buffering Effect of Calling" Social Sciences 15, no. 2: 131. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020131

APA Style

Faria, L., & Porto, S. (2026). Burnout as a Path Between Decent Work and Turnover Intention: The Buffering Effect of Calling. Social Sciences, 15(2), 131. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci15020131

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