Examining Retaliation Intentions Among Stuck Employees

Abstract

Despite the prevalence and cost of employee retaliation, little is known about who is more likely to retaliate or what affects its likelihood. The purpose of this research is to examine how retaliation might differ among increasing numbers of “stuck” employees who would like to leave their employers but cannot. This is important, given the differing nature of their employment relationship. We apply social exchange theory to examine whether the relationship between a business decision compromising employee safety for business interests and employee retaliation intentions is mediated by general organizational support perceptions. We also examine whether the relationship between organizational support perceptions and retaliation intentions is moderated by preexisting turnover intentions and perceived ease of leaving. A survey of 327 working adults in the United States was used and respondents were assigned to one of three vignette conditions within a three-cell experiment that manipulated employer behavior. Respondents then completed scales assessing perceived organizational support and retaliation intentions. Path analytic and bootstrapping analyses support the proposed model. The relationship between organizational support perceptions and retaliation intentions was negative except for stuck employees, for whom the relationship was positive. Consistent with social exchange theory, after an employer makes a decision that compromises employee safety, general organizational support perceptions reflecting a more positive ongoing exchange relationship can reduce retaliation intentions, but not among stuck employees. This work contributes to the social exchange, organizational support, and employee retaliation literatures by offering a nuanced understanding of the relationship between organizational support perceptions and retaliation intentions.