Relationship between employees’ attributions of corporate social responsibility, organisational justice and turnover intention: evidence from a post-Soviet country

Abstract

Purpose Corporate social responsibility (CSR) does not always create added value. Depending on the employee attributions to a socially responsible organisation, it can lead even to negative behaviour. One of the dangers discussed in this article is the employees’ turnover intentions. To analyse the relationship in-depth, it is important to identify phenomena that could be significant to the strength of the relationship between the employees’ attributions to socially responsible organisations and the turnover intention. Organisational justice can be considered as such a phenomenon. This article is aimed at analysing the relationship between employees’ attributions to socially responsible organisations, organisational justice and turnover intention in a post-Soviet country context. Design/methodology/approach The study involved 83 employees from different socially responsible organisations operating under the United Nations Global Compact and belonging to LAVA (Lithuanian Responsible Business Association). Regression analysis was used to analyse the data. Findings Employees whose attributions to a socially responsible organisation are other-oriented are less likely to have turnover intention and perceive the organisation as fair. The organisational justice perceived by employees does not affect the relationship between the other-oriented attributions and turnover intention. Originality/value In Lithuania, CSR is a very new concept and it still lacks evidence-based answers to the issue of sustainable employee–organisation interaction. Although many scholars in Western countries have studied CSR at the macro and micro levels of an organisation, there is still a lack of evidence-based research in post-Soviet countries to assess the impact of organisational social responsibility practices on employees’ behaviour. In addition, researchers have so far done more research into the positive relationship between CSR and employees’ behaviour, and there is a lack of research to answer whether employees’ attributions to socially responsible organisations can have a negative impact on employees’ behaviour, e.g. stimulating their turnover intention.