Organizational attachment and health

The current study examines whether psychological attachment to an organization is related to employee health. This is an important research question because, while employees' psychological attachment benefits organizational productivity and lowers turnover, it is unclear whether and why such an attachment might benefit employees themselves. Data collected from >400 studies (N = 230,983) in which nine types of organizational attachment and four types of health outcomes were measured showed that, although different types of organizational attachment were highly correlated, they demonstrated some significantly different relationships with health outcomes. For example, psychological ownership and organization-based self-esteem demonstrated the strongest relationships with employee health, whereas perceived insider status and organizational embeddedness demonstrated the weakest relationships. In addition, variables that captured deep bonds (e.g., organization-based self-esteem) had stronger relationships with health than did those that captured weaker bonds (e.g., person-organization fit). Results underscore the need for more attention to the close relationship between organizational attachment and health in general, and the similarities and differences across various specific types of organizational attachment and health.