The effects of reshoring decisions on employees

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of company decisions to reshore manufacturing activities on employee citizenship behaviors (OCBs). The research considers both company motives for the reshoring decision perceived by employees and gratitude felt toward the organization as antecedents to OCBs. Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a survey based on a sample of employees belonging to an Italian manufacturing company that had implemented a reshoring decision. Findings: The employee attributions of intrinsic motives for reshoring and gratitude are shown to positively affect OCBs. Specifically, intrinsic motives influence both OCBIs and OCBOs through the mediating role of gratitude felt by employees, whereas extrinsic motives do not affect, directly or indirectly through mediation of gratitude, OCBs. Practical implications: The research illustrates the importance of managing internal communications to employees of company motives for reshoring, which ultimately affect employee gratitude and OCBs. Originality/value: The research contributes to the knowledge of the effects of reshoring on employees and their relationships with the firms and co-workers and introduces a new area for inquiry.