This study extends the job embeddedness theory and gains understanding of the antecedent factors that directly and indirectly cause employees to become embedded and lead to predict turnover intention. The findings are pertinent, as few studies have investigated such relationships. The implications provide insights into how organizations can better retain their workforce.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to extend job embeddedness research by investigating employees’ perception of human resource (HR) practices as the predictors of organizational job embeddedness, and its mediating role between HR practices and quit intention. It also assesses the moderating effect of job satisfaction on the job embeddedness-turnover relationship. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a questionnaire survey from 1,028 accountants in various disciplines from one of the largest corporations in Thailand, including its numerous subsidiaries and joint ventures. Hypotheses were tested and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, multiple regressions, and a bootstrapping procedure. Findings The results reveal that all HR practices except training are positively related to organizational job embeddedness. Analysis also provides support for the mediating effects on quit intention of two HR practices, namely rewards and career development, through organizational job embeddedness. In addition, the interaction effect shows that the negative relationship between organizational job embeddedness and quit intention reduces when job satisfaction is high. Research limitations/implications The current research took place among accountants. Replicating the study in a variety of business sectors, professions, or cultures would be useful for the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Several HR strategies and tactics can help improve employee loyalty. Particularly effective are attractive rewards that reflect work values, and a promising career roadmap. Organizations might need to consider work conditions that sustain job satisfaction for turnover prevention in the short-term, and continuously manage long-term retention through embeddedness. Originality/value This study extends current research by investigating the relationships of so far untested theorized antecedents that clarify how employees become embedded in the workplace in order to keep them from quitting.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationships among internal branding, brand orientation, brand identification, brand commitment, and employees’ intention to stay. The paper also examines the mediating roles played by brand identification and brand commitment on the relationship between brand orientation and retention. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 702 business-to-business salespeople working in 15 cement and building materials companies in Thailand. Hypotheses were tested and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and a bootstrapping procedure. Findings The results revealed that establishing an internal brand has a positive effect on brand orientation, which has a positive impact on brand attitudes, namely brand commitment and brand identification. Such attitudes in turn are positively related to employee retention. The direct relationship between brand orientation and intention to stay was found to be partially mediated by brand identification. Research limitations/implications The current research took place among customer-facing staff (e.g. salespeople), which can be extended to back-end employees in order to better reflect the overall internal branding effort. Practical implications Organizations may improve employee retention through an internal branding process, and internalization of brand attitudes. Such efforts are not only the job of brand managers, but a shared responsibility of all employees at all levels. The collaboration between brand management and human resource (HR) interventions is crucial to successfully implement these efforts. Originality/value This study extends the existing knowledge by investigating the relationships that have rarely been discussed in the HR management and employee retention literatures. It shows the importance of a brand-building mechanism at the cultural level, and the influential effect of brand attitudes on the turnover of salespeople.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mediating effect of organizational embeddedness in the relationship between quality of work life (QWL) and turnover under a foundation of conservation of resources theory. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 422 healthcare professionals through a questionnaire survey, and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicate that organizational embeddedness has a negative impact on employees’ intention to leave, and on actual turnover. For QWL perception, career opportunities, work life balance, and job characteristics are positive and significant predictors of organizational embeddedness. In addition, organizational embeddedness plays an intermediary role that mediates the relationship between the three components of QWL mentioned earlier and turnover intention, and also between the factor of career opportunities and actual turnover. Research limitations/implications The current research took place within two healthcare organizations. Replicating the study in a variety of business sectors or professions with a larger sample of subjects would be useful for the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Organizations may improve their retention of employees by offering intrinsic resources that can be obtained from the social contexts of the individual through human resource management system, e.g., growth opportunities, a healthy and caring work life quality. Such motivational resources then develop a sense of obligation toward their places of employment, which influences their intention to stay or leave. Originality/value This study examines the mediating role of organizational embeddedness between employees’ perception of their work life quality and their desire and behavior to withdraw, which is an area of inquiry that has not been fully investigated in the literature.

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the roles of demographic characteristics (i.e. generations and organizational tenure) and psychological factors (i.e. leader-member exchange and self-efficacy) as moderators of the relationship between job embeddedness and turnover intention, and the mediating effect of turnover intention between job embeddedness and actual turnover. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 422 health-care workers through a questionnaire survey and analyzed by means of a confirmatory factor analysis and hierarchical regression. Findings The results reveal that less embedded employees who perceive a lower level of leader–member exchange quality are more likely to indicate an intention to leave. The negative relationship between job embeddedness and turnover intention is stronger among less embedded employees with high self-efficacy. The finding also indicates that turnover intention plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between job embeddedness and actual turnover. Research limitations/implications The current research took place within two health-care organizations. Replicating the study in a variety of industries, professions or cultures would be useful for the generalizability of the findings. Practical implications Organizations may improve their retention of employees by nurturing the leader–member exchange relationship to enhance a social web that bonds them together. Managers may need to pay attention to making a greater effort to embed individuals in their jobs, so that they are better able to cope successfully with challenges and organize the workday to accommodate them. Originality/value This study examines the moderating roles of individual characteristics and psychological factors on the relationship between job embeddedness and turnover intention, which has not been extensively investigated in the literature.