Performance appraisal justice and affective commitment: examining the moderating role of age and gender

Abstract

Purpose Performance appraisal (PA) is one of the most indispensable human resource management practices as many critical decisions regarding employees’ performance are heavily based on the PA results as they are responsible for various attitude-related outcomes. This study aims to investigate the relationship between PA justice and affective commitment (AC) of employees in the Indian banking sector, and to examine the moderating effects of age and gender on this relationship. Design/methodology/approach A total of 298 employees from the banking sector were randomly selected to examine the relationship between PA justice and AC along with the moderating role of age and gender on this relationship through structural equation modelling using AMOS 21. Findings The findings of the study supported hypothesized relationships as PA justice significantly predicted the AC of bank employees in India. The moderating effects of age and gender on the relationship of PA justice and AC are found to be high for older employees and female employees, respectively. Research limitations/implications As the present study was cross-sectional, so any inferences regarding causality are limited. Theoretical and managerial implications have been discussed in the context of banking sector. Originality/value The paper contributes new insights to the existing literature by examining the moderating effects of age and gender on the relationship of PA justice and AC in the context of Indian banking sector.