A moral–emotional account of voluntary turnover: moral undesirability, disgust, shame and employee exit

Purpose This study aims to develop a moral–emotional account of voluntary turnover by explaining why employees may leave because continued organisational membership, participation, silence or identification feels morally compromising. Design/methodology/approach The study integrates voluntary turnover theory, exit–voice theory, appraisal theories of emotion and moral–emotional research to develop a conceptual process model of morally charged employee exit. Findings The model identifies moral undesirability as the appraisal that continued association with an organisation, leader, practice, role or one’s own participation is morally problematic. Other-accountable moral undesirability elicits disgust and immediate rejection or avoidance readiness, whereas self-accountable moral undesirability elicits shame and immediate hiding or self-removal readiness. These emotions may support continued-association responses when change appears possible and voice or repair channels are credible. Alternatively, they may generate moral dissociation, an association-specific desire to reduce or end a morally compromising connection. Target centrality shapes whether dissociation produces local distancing or organisation-level withdrawal, while exit feasibility and embeddedness influence whether turnover intention culminates in resignation. Practical implications The model helps organisations distinguish dissatisfaction-based turnover from morally charged exit and highlights the importance of credible voice channels, accountability, psychological safety and substantive moral repair. Originality/value The study refines voluntary turnover and exit–voice theories by distinguishing moral appraisal, emotion-specific action readiness, moral dissociation, distancing responses and actual voluntary exit.