Returning the Favor? Feeling Obliged and Reported Participation in Discretionary Safety Activities

Recent research has shown that the reported participation of employees in voluntary safety activities is related to prevention accidents and injuries. Encouraging such participation, then, beneficial organizations. A key question, therefore, why should choose report they engage activities: what their motivation given are not compulsory? We used social exchange theory (SET) organizational support (OST) develop a model linking perceived reports participation. SET postulates benefits (by an organization) reciprocated with potential giver as result. OST emphasizes feeling obliged part people reciprocate get from organization. Voluntary have benefit organization, so for first time, we test whether there link between activities, relationship mediated by felt obligation. also another reciprocate, anticipated reward, involved mediating relationship. structural equation sample 536 workers Belgian public company, production distribution safe drinking water waste treatment, supported hypotheses authors. The showed obligation reports, anticipatory form perceptions management was committed safety, reports. These processes were be separable employee job engagement perspectives on or job. findings add understanding behaviors also, literature demonstrating time involvement commitment mediators outcomes support.