Psychological Contract Breach And Employee Intention To Leave: Does Justice Perception Stem The Tide?
I Owoeye
Department of Business AdministrationAdekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
O D Faloye
Department of Business AdministrationAdekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
A O Omotola
Department of Business AdministrationAdekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
D O Olatunji
Department of Business AdministrationAdekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
Keywords: psychological contract breach, intention to leave, justice perception, Nigeria
Abstract
Drawing insights from organisational justice literature, perceived fairness of outcomes received by employees in an organisational setting might enhance positive attitudinal outcomes and prevent counter-productive behaviours. The question is would justice perception stem the tide of outcomes generated as a result of psychological contract breach? This study answered the question by employing descriptive and explanatory research designs, and then investigated the effect of psychological contract breach on employee intention to leave with a view to establishing the moderating effect of justice perception in a University setting in Nigeria. This study identified, through descriptive analysis performed on data collected from 93 respondents, the existence of psychological contract breach and perceived intention to leave among staffers in a University setting in Nigeria. The hypothesised relationships were, thereafter, tested using regression statistics, and it was found that psychological contract breach had significant effect on employee intention to leave. Furthermore, the study also found insignificant moderating effect of perceived justice on the relationship between psychological contract breach and employee intention to leave. The study concluded that perception of fairness as a construct to stem the effect of negative organisational events on employee attitudinal and behavioural outcomes varies across contexts. The practical and policy implications of the findings were discussed in the study