Shared Hardships Strengthen Bonds: Negative Shocks, Embeddedness, and Employee Retention
研究发现，当企业与员工激励一致时，负面冲击（如设备故障）反而能延长员工任职时间，并增强其情感承诺，表明共患难可强化雇佣关系纽带。
ABSTRACT Jarring events inspiring reflection, known as “shocks” in the literature, are the driving force in explaining changes in employee embeddedness and retention within the unfolding model of labor turnover. Substantial research effort has examined strategies for insulating valued employees from adverse shocks. However, this article provides empirical evidence that unambiguously negative shocks can increase employee retention when underlying firm and employee incentives with respect to these shocks are aligned. Using survival analysis on a unique data set of 466,236 communication records and 45,873 employment spells from 21 trucking companies, we show how equipment‐related shocks tend to increase the duration of employment. Equipment shocks also generate paradoxically positive sentiments that demonstrate an increase in employees' affective commitment to the firm. Our results highlight the important moderating role that aligned incentives play in how shocks ultimately translate into retention. Shared hardships strengthen bonds in employment, as in other areas.