The effect of occupational commitment and mobbing on the intention to leave in road transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic period

Abstract

The road transportation sector is an integral part of foreign trade and the locomotive of economic development. The COVID-19 outbreak caused the closure of customs gates for a certain period in addition to a decrease in demand for goods and services and thus profoundly affected the road transport industry. For businesses operating in the road transportation sector, occupational commitment and exposure to mobbing of employees during the pandemic are vital in terms of business performance. This study examines occupational commitment and mobbing on the intention to leave during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although there are many studies in the literature on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been no study examining the relationship between these three variables in the road transportation industry.  This study is the first empirical study to examine variables such as intention to leave, mobbing, and professional commitment during the pandemic period in Turkey. The research universe consists of 45 logistics companies that provide transportation, customs clearance, storage, insurance, logistics value-added services. The sample consists of businesses engaged in national and international road transport, strengthening the representation ability. As a result of the study, it was determined that mobbing sub-factors did not decrease emotional, occupational commitment, and mobbing increased the intention to leave. Thus, it has been proven that there is a negative relationship between emotional and normative occupational commitment and intention to leave. It is expected that this study will contribute significantly to the businesses and the literature operating in road transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic.