The mediating effect of organizational commitment in the relationship between occupational health and safety practices and organizational citizenship behavior: A research in hospitality businesses

Occupational health and safety is an important management area that aims to protect employees physically, psychologically, and socially while contributing to the sustainability of organizational effectiveness. Occupational health and safety practices are considered to influence not only employees' safety but also their attitudes and behaviors toward the organization. Within this context, this study examines the relationships among occupational health and safety practices, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior. The main purpose of this research is to determine the role of organizational commitment in the relationship between occupational health and safety practices and organizational citizenship behavior. For this purpose, the relational survey model was employed. The population of the study consisted of employees working in the four and five star hospitality establishments operating in Bodrum, one of Türkiye's leading tourism destinations. The questionnaire technique, one of the quantitative research methods, was used as the data collection tool. A total of 350 questionnaires were collected, and 285 valid questionnaires were included in the analyses. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 22.0 statistical package program. The findings revealed a positive and significant relationship between occupational health and safety practices and organizational commitment, and occupational health and safety practices were found to significantly affect organizational commitment. In addition, occupational health and safety practices positively influenced organizational citizenship behavior, while organizational commitment was also found to have a positive effect on organizational citizenship behavior. However, the results indicated that organizational commitment did not have a significant mediating role in the relationship between occupational health and safety practices and organizational citizenship behavior. Based on the findings, several recommendations were developed for hospitality businesses, employees, policymakers, and future researchers.