How organizational support can help employees mitigate the effects of distributive injustice: a hierarchical moderated mediation model

Objectives. At present, the mechanism of distributive justice leading to presenteeism is still unclear. We aim to explore the relationship among distributive justice, organization-based self-esteem, presenteeism and organizational support among Chinese medical workers by building a moderated mediation model. Methods. We employed a cross-level research design that aggregated organizational support to the organizational level. Medical staff from 50 different hospitals in China were invited to participate in the survey, and 1122 valid data questionnaires were obtained. We used hierarchical linear modelling to test this cross-level moderated mediation model. Results. Our results suggest that, at the individual level, organization-based self-esteem partially mediates the distributive justice–presenteeism relationship, and at the individual level, organizational support moderates the relationship between distributive justice and organization-based self-esteem. Conclusions. Distributive justice enhances individuals’ organization-based self-esteem, which is associated with a reduction in presenteeism, and underscores the importance of organizations shaping an organizational support climate.