Unleashing employees ethical voice behavior: a mediated moderation model of ethical leadership, person-job fit, person-organization fit and co-workers’ ethical support

Purpose This study examines the effects of ethical leadership (EL), person-job fit, person-organization fit and co-worker ethical support on employee ethical voice behavior (EVB). Specifically, the study aims to examine the mediating role of person-job fit and person-organization fit and the moderating role of co-workers’ ethical support in the context of readymade garments (RMG) organizations in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach The study uses a quantitative approach and finally collected 430 usable responses from employees of Bangladesh’s RMG organizations in two-time lags using survey. Data analysis was performed with structural equation modeling. Findings The findings show that EL positively affects employee ethical behavior. Also, both person-job fit, and person-organization fit partially mediate the relationship between EL and employee ethical voice. Furthermore, the outcomes reveal that co-workers ethical support moderate the relationship between person-job fit and employee EVB, and person-organization fit and employee EVB. Research limitations/implications Self-reported responses and non-random sampling limit this study. The findings are examined, and further studies are recommended to overcome these limitations. Originality/value This study contributed to the existing literature as it explores the mediating effect of person-job fit and person-organization fit in the relationship between EL and employee EVB. Also, moderating effect of co-workers’ ethical support in the relationship between person-job fit, person-organization fit and employee EVB.