Anchoring Loyalty: Examining the Role of Ethical Leadership and Life Satisfaction in Public Sector Job Embeddedness

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between job embeddedness (JE) and turnover intention (TI) in public sector with a focus on mediating effect of life satisfaction (LS) and moderating role of ethical leadership (EL). The study employed quantitative design where 245 employees working in the public sector were surveyed through structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed using Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis and hypothesis testing. According to the findings, JE has a negative impact on TI among public sector employees mediated by LS. Similarly, EL adjusts the connection between JE and TI. These outcomes have implications that require public sector stakeholders to pay attention to both individual as well as contextual factors to manage effectively and retain employees. Public organizations not only need to improve their workers’ level of involvement within these entities or communities but also think about hiring, training, promoting ethical leaders. This research highlights how organizational as well as community embeddedness impacts the LSM and TIPSEs in public sector mediated by EL.