Beyond Choosing to Leave: The Interactive Effects of On- and Off-the-Job Embeddedness on Involuntary Turnover

Job embeddedness is the net of influences in both work (on-the-job) and nonwork (off-the-job) domains that discourage employees from leaving their jobs. In this article, we argue that the entrenchment and increased investment associated with job embeddedness run parallel to the concept of role involvement from the work-family conflict literature. Drawing on this similarity, we extend theory and research regarding work-family conflict to develop and test predictions about the moderating role of off-the-job embeddedness on the effects of on-the-job embeddedness on involuntary turnover. Specifically, we predicted that being highly embedded on-the-job can reduce the likelihood of being fired because it increases job performance, but that these benefits are only accrued when employees are not also highly embedded off-the-job. We tested our predictions using a sample of 908 government employees from whom we collected performance and turnover data over time. Consistent with our predictions, among employees who were highly embedded on-the-job, those who were less embedded off-the-job were less likely to be terminated than those who were more embedded off-the-job. However, job performance did not explain this effect. In addition to providing a rare examination of involuntary turnover, we contribute to the job embeddedness literature by demonstrating the importance of distinguishing between, and simultaneously examining, on- and off-the-job embeddedness and their unique, multiplicative effects. We also demonstrate the utility of the WFC literature in advancing theory and research on job embeddedness.

Automated summary

This study examines the impact of job embeddedness on employee turnover, with a focus on the moderating role of on- and off-the-job embeddedness on involuntary termination. The results show that employees who are highly embedded on-the-job but less embedded off-the-job are less likely to be fired, highlighting the importance of distinguishing and simultaneously studying on- and off-the-job embeddedness.