Restoring dignity at work: the role of offender reintegration in moral repair outcomes

Purpose The emerging moral repair literature suggests that, in the aftermath of workplace wrongdoing, reintegrating offenders reaps numerous benefits, not just for the offender, but for the organization. However, only a small number of empirical studies have investigated whether reintegration actually produces these outcomes, and little is known about how and why these relationships occur. The purpose of this paper is to examine how and when offender reintegration leads to a variety of desirable organizational and offender-related outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The authors used a two wave survey design in two independent employee samples. In Study 1, the authors tested direct effects of perceived offender reintegration on offender outcomes using a two-wave survey of 133 full-time employees. In Study 2, the authors tested direct and mediation effects using a two-wave survey of 295 full-time employees. Findings The authors found that offender reintegration is linked, both directly, and indirectly, to a wide variety of desirable offender- and workplace-related outcomes. Reintegration directly influences offenders’ organizational citizenship behavior aimed at helping individuals (OCB-I), commitment to the organization and supervisor and job satisfaction (both studies) and reduced likelihood of reoffending and counterproductive work behavior (one study). The results also reveal mediating effects – satisfying the offender’s need for dignity and organizational belonging mediate relationships between reintegration and some of these desirable outcomes. Originality/value This study advances the literature by empirically testing direct and mediating relationships between workplace offender reintegration on a variety of desirable organizational and offender-related outcomes.