Role of emotional intelligence and job embeddedness in influencing deviant workplace behavior

Job insecurity has been widely studied in the literature where many of the studies focused on its effect on individual and organizational outcomes. However, empirical study within the Malaysian context remained scarce therefore this study investigated the effect of job insecurity on deviant workplace behavior through affective commitment and job-related tension on employees from retrenching organizations. This study also explored the effect of emotional intelligence and job embeddedness as moderating variables. Respondents were selected from organizations that had undergone retrenchment located in Johore, Penang and Selangor as these three states had the highest number of retrenchment cases in the country. List of organizations that had undergone retrenchment was obtained from the Ministry of Human Resources Malaysia. A total of 243 completed questionnaires were received back out of the 630 sets being sent out. Hypotheses testing were carried out using Partial Least Square using the software Smart PLS 2.0. The results showed that job insecurity was negatively related to affective commitment (-0.37, p < .01) and positively related to job-related tension (0.21, p < .01). Results indicated no relationship between affective commitment and deviant workplace behavior however job-related tension was found to be positively related to deviant workplace behavior (0.44, p < .01). Emotional intelligence did not moderate the relationship between job insecurity and affective commitment; job insecurity and job-related tension. However, emotional intelligence moderated the relationship between affective commitment and deviant workplace behavior (-0.31, p < .05); job-related tension and deviant workplace behavior (-0.44, p < .05). Also, job embeddedness moderated the relationship between job-related tension and deviant workplace behavior (-0.30, p< .05). Organization must be aware on the impact of job insecurity on deviant workplace behavior. Therefore, it is beneficial for organizations to lay out programs that may improve employees’ emotional intelligence and job embeddedness since both displayed moderator traits.

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