The effects of relative organizational tenure on job behaviors in the public sector

From the perspective of organizational socialization, this study examines whether relative organizational tenure significantly influences desirable and undesirable behaviors in the public sector. We measured desirable behaviors in terms of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and public service motivation (PSM), and undesirable behaviors regarding turnover intention and burnout. In addition, we tested whether relative organizational tenure affected behaviors differently depending on employee status. Based on a survey of 203 public employees in local government in South Korea, this study conducted ordinary least squares (OLS) regression analysis to investigate the research model. We found that relative organizational tenure had significantly negative effects on both OCB and turnover intention but no significant effects on PSM and burnout. We also found that relative organizational tenure had a significant negative effect on the OCB of subordinates but not leaders. These results provide some implications for human resources management (HRM) with respect to relative organizational tenure in public organizations.