Antecedents of perceived intra- and extra-organisational alternatives: The case of low-educated supermarket employees in Central European transition countries

Purpose ‐ The purpose of this paper is to explore antecedents of perceived intra- and extra-organisational alternatives among employees in the Czech Republic, Poland and the Slovak Republic. Design/methodology/approach ‐ Data were collected from 9,068 low-educated supermarket employees at 360 supermarkets. LISREL analysis was employed. Findings ‐ Age, job autonomy and organisation size predict both forms of perceived alternatives. Tenure appears to influence both forms of perceived alternatives positively. Job challenge and sex only predict perceived extra-organisational alternatives. Unexpectedly, despite relatively high unemployment rates, the respondents perceive extra-organisational alternatives. Research limitations/implications ‐ Some of the antecedents of perceived alternatives identified in research among workers in Western societies seem to have a different or no impact on the perceived alternatives of employees in these countries. The study comprises only cross-sectional data. In order to test causality a longitudinal design is needed. Practical implications ‐ Managers should offer development and promotion opportunities in order to prevent turnover and to enhance internal flexibility as well as reflect on inducements for female and older workers. Originality/value ‐ This is one of the few studies exploring employee perceptions in Central European transition countries. Moreover, in general, research on the perceived alternatives of low-educated employees is very scarce. Therefore, this research also contributes to knowledge about their labour market perceptions.