The met expectations, or met preferences, hypothesis about turnover suggests that
people tend to leave their jobs when their expectations are not fulfilled. Empirical
tests of this hypothesis have been inconclusive. Here, we test the hypothesis in a
very practical way. We examine the effects of turnover of met versus unmet preferences
of two important job characteristics, instrumental communication and decision
influence. Employees with strong preferences for such characteristics are arguably
key organisational members, the loss of whom could be expensive. Our empirical
findings have both research and practical implications. Researchers might note that
met expectation effects are more likely to be found when multiple expectations are
examined. Human resource practitioners might note that organisations are particularly
vulnerable to the loss of employees whose expectations of professional involvement
are not met. The sample comprises 1,024 female non-supervisory registered nurses.
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