Paper Title
THE INTERACTION BETWEEN EFFORT–REWARD IMBALANCE AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN PREDICTING TURNOVER INTENTIONS AMONG IT PROFESSIONALS

Abstract
Purpose – This study aims to examine the factors influencing turnover intentions among IT professionals, focusing on the role of effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and organizational commitment. It investigates whether organizational commitment reduces turnover intentions and moderates the negative impact of ERI. Design/methodology/approach – Survey-based quantitative study (n=300 Indian IT professionals) examining effort-reward imbalance, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions using validated scales and statistical analysis. Findings – The results demonstrated that the ERI was a significant predictor of turnover intentions, thus confirming that perceived unfairness in rewards increases the tendency of employees to leave. Contrary to our expectations, organizational commitment did not significantly predict turnover intention nor did it moderate the ERI-turnover relationship. This further emphasizes that loyalty by itself may do little to protect employees from turnover when they feel undervalued. Practical implications – Another area organizations need to give emphasis to is fairness with regard to rewards, recognition, and career advancement options. Just building employee commitment may not, however, be enough for retention if the employees internally feel that what has been given does not equal what comes out from their efforts. Research limitations/implications - As the study relies on self-reported survey data, findings may be subject to response bias. Future studies could adopt longitudinal or multi-source designs. Originality/value – The research extends the model of effort-reward imbalance to the Indian IT sector and proves that organizational commitment does not act as a buffer against the direct negative effect of effort-reward imbalance on turnover intentions. This offers new insights into employee retention strategies in high-pressure industries. Keywords- Effort–Reward Imbalance, Organizational Commitment, Turnover Intentions, IT Professionals, Employee Retention, India Paper type: Research paper