Ease of movement and sector affiliation as moderators of the organizational and career commitment

Purpose - The paper's aim is to examine how the relationships between career commitment, organizational commitment and intentions to leave, an indicator of worker well‐being, were moderated by ease of movement and sector affiliation. Design/methodology/approach - The sample consisted of 340 knowledge workers (107 low‐tech, 233 high‐tech), that anonymously filled in a structured questionnaire, that included measures of organizational commitment, career commitment, perceived ease of movement, sector affiliation and intention to leave. Findings - Analysis of the questionnaires showed that organizational commitment, unlike career commitment, is related to intentions to leave regardless of other personal or structural considerations. By contrast, ease of movement and sector affiliation moderated the relationship between career commitment and intentions to leave. Practical implications - Understanding the differences between career commitment and organizational commitment, employers, especially in the high‐tech sector, should advance employees’ organizational commitment. Originality/value - The intention to leave one's present place of work is a widespread phenomenon, particularly among knowledge workers. Although organizational commitment as an antecedent variable appears in many turnover intention models, career commitment has been investigated much less frequently. The current study attempts to fill this gap.