The moderating effect of person–organization fit on the relationship between job stress and deviant behaviors of frontline employees

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between job stress and deviant behaviors, which include organizational and frontline deviance, and the moderating effect of person–organization (P-O) fit on these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe sample consists of 259 frontline employees working in Surabaya, Indonesia. Respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire distributed by survey assistants. This present study conducts partial least squares structural equation modeling to examine hypotheses.FindingsThe results indicate that job stress has positive correlations with organizational and frontline deviance. P-O fit has a moderating effect on the relationship between job stress and frontline deviance; the lower the P-O fit, the stronger the relationship between job stress and frontline deviance. P-O fit does not moderate the relationship between job stress and organizational deviance.Practical implicationsCompanies must be more careful in the recruitment and selection process and continuously perform activities to communicate their values and norms to employees.Originality/valueThis study introduces the moderating effect of P-O fit on the relationship between job stress and frontline employees' deviant behaviors, which has not been revealed in previous studies. It provides an understanding of the importance of considering the compatibility between individual and organizational values as one of the company's efforts to reduce stressed employees' responses by engaging in workplace deviance.