Examining the Mediation Effect of Anti-Citizen Behaviour in the Link Between Job Insecurity and Organizational Performance: Empirical Evidence from Tunisian Hotels

Grounded in Social Exchange Theory (SET) and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study tests the influence of job insecurity (JI) on organisational, particularly hotel, performance (OP) via the adoption of anti-social behaviour (ACB). To this end, responses were collected from 429 employees working in three renowned five-star hotels in Hammamet, Tunisia. By analysing the data with AMOS (v.25), we found that the research hypotheses were confirmed. The results showed, on one hand, that JI significantly and negatively affects OP and, on the other hand, significantly and positively affects ACB, which, in turn, significantly and negatively affects OP. Additionally, the link between JI and OP became insignificant post the initiation of ACB as a mediator. As a result, we found that ACB fully mediates the link between JI and OP. This undoubtedly shows that when employees experience JI, they adopt ACB to restore equilibrium, with adverse consequences for hotel performance. In addition to the theoretical implications, managerial recommendations for practitioners are presented.