Occupational commitment, industrial relations and turnover intention : Empirical evidence from China

Purpose – The aim of this research is to study the relationships between occupational commitment, industrial relations and turnover intention, as well as the moderating role of turnover intention. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical data for this study were collected using a questionnaire survey method. A total of 600 copies of the questionnaire were sent out by post or email to firms and 429 valid responses were finally obtained, yielding a response rate of approximately 71.5 per cent. Findings – Except for the limited choices commitment, affective commitment, normative commitment and cumulative costs commitment are found to be significantly and positively related to industrial relations. Employees’ turnover intention may be detrimental to industrial relations, as our results show that it has a negative correlation with industrial relations. We also find that it negatively moderates the relationship between occupational commitment and industrial relations. Practical implications – Our results shed light on human resource management practices in Chinese firms, and managerial implications are made to enhance Chinese employees’ occupational commitment. Originality/value – This study extends the current literature and provides new insights into the relationship between the four dimensions of occupational commitment and industrial relations in the Chinese context. It also provides an understanding that this relationship is conditioned on employees’ turnover intention.