The effects of organisational entrenchment on unethical behaviour

According to the social exchange theory, individuals establish exchange relationships within organisations that should be rewarding for both parties. An imbalanced relationship leads to negative reactions from individuals. If employees find themselves without alternatives, they can entrench themselves within an organisation. The entrenchment concept is linked to a protective environment. However, the idea of leaving this comfort zone generates the perception of loss of accumulated investments and we inquire if it could also promote unethical behaviours. A sample of 352 employees (mean age 37.9 years old, SD = 10.7 years), answered the observed unethical behaviour, organisational entrenchment, and social desirability scales, which were applied at two-wave. Multiple regression results indicate that entrenchment exhibits a positive relationship with unethical behaviour. Social desirability moderates the relationship, highlighting the importance of controlling this variable. These results suggest that employee perceptions of entrenchment are an important predictor of unethical work behaviour.