The effect of on-the-job shocks on employees’ intention to stay: an investigation of organizational embeddedness

Abstract

Purpose

Using the theoretical lens of sensemaking, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between on-the-job shocks, as experienced by the employees and intention to stay (IS) by shedding light on the mediating role of organizational embeddedness (OE) and the moderating role of commitment human resource practices (CHRP).

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a time-lagged research design, collecting data from 304 employees from 48 teams in China to conduct multilevel structural equation modeling to test hypotheses.

Findings

This study found that employees who suffer on-the-job shocks tend to decrease their IS in organizations via OE. However, CHRP did not bound the main effect of on-the-job shocks on OE.

Practical implications

Given the increasingly dynamic business environment, employees constantly encounter shocks in the workplace. Organizations or leaders should be aware of the on-the-job shocks in harming employee retention.

Originality/value

The research highlights workplace events’ significance in investigating employees’ retention and specifically offers glimpses into the mechanisms by which on-the-job shocks manifest themselves in employees’ IS.

Citation

Yang, C., Chen, Y. and Chen, A. (2021), "The effect of on-the-job shocks on employees’ intention to stay: an investigation of organizational embeddedness", Chinese Management Studies, Vol. 15 No. 5, pp. 1032-1056. https://doi.org/10.1108/CMS-05-2020-0204