Examining the Mediating Effects of Job Embeddedness on the Link between Ethical Climate and Job Attitudes

Ethical issues have become increasingly problematic worldwide.Existing studies highlight the significant impact of ethical climate, an organizational framework that establishes norms and protocols for resolving ethical issues, in handling workplace dynamics.Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines how two specific ethical climates-instrumental climate and caring climate-influence employees' job attitudes (such as job satisfaction and organizational commitment) in Chinese small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), with job embeddedness serving as a mediating mechanism.We collected data from 259 employees using selfreport questionnaires that assessed all variables.To conduct a comprehensive analysis of the collected data, multiple statistical techniques were employed, including confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess model validity, Pearson correlation coefficients to examine inter-variable relationships, and structural equation modeling (SEM) to test corresponding hypotheses.This study revealed three key findings.First, perceived ethical climates independently predicted job embeddedness.Specifically, caring climates had a positive effect on job embeddedness, whereas instrumental climates exhibited a negative effect.Second, job embeddedness significantly predicted both dimensions of job attitude.Third, job embeddedness fully mediated the relationship between ethical climate and job attitude.Overall, these results contribute to the existing literature by verifying the distinct effects of different ethical climates in a more specific context and represent the first study to demonstrate the differential impact of distinct ethical climates on job attitudes through job embeddedness.Moreover, this paper proposes a strategy for organizations to enhance employee attachment and promote positive job attitudes by fostering norms of benevolence and support.Study limitations and future research directions are discussed in the end.