High‐performance work practices, work social support and their effects on job embeddedness and turnover intentions

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a research model that examines whether job embeddedness mediates the effects of high‐performance work practices and work social support on turnover intentions. Design/methodology/approach – Based on data gathered from 174 full‐time frontline employees in the four‐ and five‐star hotels, with a time lag of two weeks in Iran, the relationships were tested using LISREL 8.30 through structural equation modeling. Findings – Results suggest that job embeddedness fully mediates the effects of high‐performance work practices and work social support on turnover intentions. Specifically, frontline employees with high‐performance work practices and work social support are more embedded in their jobs, and therefore, are unlikely to display intentions to leave the organization. Research limitations/implications – Testing hope as a moderator of the effects of high‐performance work practices and work social support on job embeddedness in future studies would add to the existing knowledge base. The time lag used in this study provides limited support for causal inferences. Therefore, future studies should use a longer time lag than it was done in this study. Originality/value – The present study adds to the current literature by investigating the antecedents of job embeddedness. This study also adds to the current knowledge base by examining job embeddedness as a mediator of the effects of high‐performance work practices and work social support on turnover intentions through data collected in the hotel industry in Iran, a developing non‐Western country.