How negative affectivity moderates the relationship between shocks, embeddedness and worker behaviors

We integrated the unfolding model of turnover, job embeddedness theory and affective events theory to build and test a model specifying the relationship between negative shocks, on-the-job embeddedness and important employee behaviors. The results showed that embeddedness mediates the relationship between negative shocks and job search behaviors as well as counterproductive work behaviors. The study further examines the role of dispositional influences on reactions to negative workplace shocks and how these reactions affect organizational citizenship behavior, counterproductive work behavior and job search behavior. Results indicated a moderated-mediation effect of negative affectivity on each of these outcomes.

► We model the relations between negative shocks, embeddedness and employee behaviors. ► We test the model with a sample of corrections industry workers. ► Embeddedness mediates between negative shocks and job search and counterproductivity. ► There is a moderated-mediation effect of negative affectivity on each of these outcomes.