The Mediating Role of Culture on Employee Voice: Insights from Saudi Arabia

Employee voice has piqued the interest of researchers because it has been demonstrated to lead to positive employee reactions at work, such as improved perceptions of procedural justice, job tenure, and employee productivity (Arain et al., 2021). According to labour relations studies, unionised employee voice reduces employee quit rates, increases employee job tenure, and improves employer investment in human capital and employee productivity (Hameed et al., 2020). According to these studies, employee voice has an impact on both individual and organisational outcomes. However, Park and Kim (2016) suggest that researchers broaden employee voice studies to examine voice through a variety of lenses other than trade union activity. Researchers have examined a variety of employee behavioural and attitudinal factors that may encourage or discourage their voice. Promotive voice refers to making suggestions for improvement, whereas prohibitive voice is concerned about unethical or negative practices (Chetty, 2021). Alshahrani (2021) suggests that individual behaviour may be important predictors of both prohibitive and promotive forms of employee voice. Given that individuals’ dispositions are shaped in part by their work-related religious beliefs (Altheeb, 2020), we tend to investigate how and when (Muslim) employees’ Islamic work ethic (Mohammad et al., 2018) leads to them exhibiting promotive and prohibitive voice behaviours in organisations.