Citizenship pressure and job performance: roles of citizenship fatigue and continuance commitment

• Published in: Asia Pacific journal of human resources 2021-07, Vol.59 (3), p.482-505
• Main Authors: De Clercq, Dirk, Suhail, Aamir, Azeem, Muhammad Umer, Haq, Inam Ul
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Citizenship; citizenship fatigue; citizenship pressure; conservation of resources theory; continuance commitment; Employees; job performance
• ISSN: 1038-4111; 1744-7941
• DOI: 10.1111/1744-7941.12241

This study investigates the relationship between employees’ experience of citizenship pressure and job performance, as well as the mediating role of citizenship fatigue and moderating role of continuance commitment. Multisource, time‐lagged data from employees and their supervisors in Pakistan reveal that employees’ beliefs that they have no other choice than to take on allegedly voluntary activities undermine their job performance, due to energy depletion evoked as citizenship fatigue. Their continuance commitment buffers this process; the indirect relationship between citizenship pressure and job performance, through citizenship fatigue, is weaker when employees believe they have limited employment alternatives, because they may perceive expectations of their citizenship as opportunities instead of threats in this case. Human resource managers thus should recognize that excessive organizational pressures for citizenship behaviors can undermine job performance, but less so among employees for whom leaving the organization appears costly. Key points Citizenship fatigue mediates the relationship between citizenship pressure and job performance. The indirect relationship between citizenship pressure and job performance, through citizenship fatigue, is weaker at higher levels of continuance commitment. Organizations should take care not to force employees into activities that extend formal job descriptions. Organizations should be proactive in monitoring whether expectations about taking on additional responsibilities become excessive. Organizations can reduce the hardships of citizenship pressure by making it costly to leave.