Guanxi human resource management practices and psychological withdrawal behavior: a conservation of resources theory approach

Purpose This study examines the relationship between guanxi human resource management (HRM) practices and psychological withdrawal behavior and its mechanism, and examines the mediating role of psychological contract breach and the moderating role of employee resilience. Design/methodology/approach This study collected 287 three-stage questionnaires from 62 teams from public institutions, large state-owned enterprises and private enterprises in Sichuan Province, and used regression analysis, PROCESS and Amos structural equation model to test the research hypothesis. Findings Guanxi HRM practices positively influenced the employees’ psychological withdrawal behavior, and psychological contract breach played a mediating role in the relationship. Employee resilience not only moderated guanxi HRM practice and psychological contract breach but also moderated the mediating effect of psychological contract breach between guanxi HRM practice and psychological withdrawal behavior. Originality/value This study revealed the impact of guanxi HRM practices on employees’ psychological withdrawal behavior, which often serves as an early indicator of mental health issues. This finding has important implications for the research on relation-oriented HRM practices.