Abstract:
Background. Turnover remains high in Zimbabwe’s
construction sector, which employs thousands of skilled and
unskilled workers and contributes significantly to the national
economy. However, excessive staff turnover reduces
productivity and revenues. The construction sector’s potential
and dynamism are directly related to the level of employee
commitment, organisational citizenship behaviour, and fair
work experience of its employees. These are key elements of
sustainable, long-term human resource management that can
help construction companies address the diverse needs and
expectations of both potential and existing employees while
preserving long-term business opportunities.
Purpose. This study aimed to examine the moderating
effect of decent work on the relationship between employee
commitment (EC) and organisational citizenship behaviour
(OCB) in the Zimbabwean construction sector.
Findings. The study adopted a quantitative methodology
to obtain data from a convenience sample of 200 participants
employed in the construction industry. The data were analysed
using SmartPLS 4.0 and SPSS. The findings show a strong
relationship among the variables, highlighting their significant
roles in explaining the variance in the constructs. Specifically,
the results show that Decent Work is positively related to
Employee Commitment (β = 0.456, p < 0.001) and
Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (β = 0.178, p < 0.025);
Employee Commitment is positively associated with
Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (β = 0.191, p < 0.019).
Furthermore, the results show that Decent Work (DW)
moderates the relationship between Employee Commitment
(EC) and Organisational Citizenship Behaviour (β = 0.054,
p < 0.043).
Implications. This research provides information on the
policy guidelines adopted by governments regarding the
promotion of the concept ‘decent work’ in the construction
sector. The findings suggest that construction firm managers
should adopt decent work practices to retain top talent.
Furthermore, employee engagement and corporate citizenship
must be enhanced through initiatives that support employee
well-being. This study provides governments with valuable
information for developing policies that foster the creation of
high-quality employment opportunities in the construction
industry. Therefore, organisations seeking to develop employee
engagement and corporate citizenship should consider creating
a high-quality work environment.
Keywords: Construction, Decent Work, Employee
Commitment, Labour Turnover, Organisational Behaviour.
