The Effect of Burnout on the Turnover Intention: A Study on 5 Star Hotels in Famagusta

Servicing is the one of the most stressful occupations in the 21st century. Hotel employees take a significant role in servicing in hospitality and tourism sector. Being in service sector mainly centred on clients’ problems, and facing and working with people is backbreaking. The emotional pressure, long working hours and shifts, relations and communications with colleagues and managers, active working for long hours, work ambiguity or overloaded work are some of the reasons causes burnout in certain time in hospitality among hotel employees. Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. Burnout syndrome consists of three basic dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplishment, and these dimensions express the changes in the life of the individual experiencing burnout. Burnout closely concerns and affects individuals, businesses and organizations. Hotel businesses and employees are also one of the sectors closely affected. In hospitality and tourism sector work conditions and laws unsatisfactory in Northern Cyprus. Compered to developed countries in Famagusta region in Northern Cyprus hotels have worse conditions for employees. Furthermore lack of governmental controls, inspections causes illegal shifts and overloaded work, which are non-ethical work conditions, affects employees’ emotions and physical conditions negatively. The aim of the current study is to consider hotel employees’ burnout level affects on turnover intention. This study conducted on five-star hotel employees in Famagusta. Two fıve-star hotels located in Famagusta region. 280 hotel employees voluntarily participated in this research. 204 of participants totally complete the questionnaires. According to the ANOVA test p-value result (p<0.05=0.005) an important positive relationship found between burnout and turnover intention. Burnout affects hotel employees’ turnover intentions. Keywords: hotel employees, burnout, turnover intention, Northern Cyprus, hotels, emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment, Famagusta, five stared hotels