ABSTRACT
Job embeddedness (i.e., organizational and community factors that explain why employees remain in their organization) is generally regarded as a positive construct. However, a growing body of research suggests that embeddedness may also have detrimental effects on well-being, particularly when considering nonwork and cross-domain outcomes. To clarify these relationships, the present meta-analysis examined the effects of job embeddedness on well-being through the lens of conservation of resources theory. Based on 133 independent samples from 122 studies (N = 51 833), the results showed that job embeddedness was generally positively associated with well-being such as reduced burnout and increased life satisfaction. Importantly, organizational embeddedness exerted relatively stronger effects than community embeddedness, not only on work-related well-being but also on nonwork and cross-domain well-being. Furthermore, meta-analytic structural equation modeling revealed that both single-domain (e.g., job burnout) and cross-domain (e.g., work–family conflict) well-being mediated the relationships between job embeddedness and withdrawal. Additionally, through cross-domain well-being, organizational embeddedness indirectly and positively influenced voluntary turnover, demonstrating a counterintuitive pattern in how embeddedness shapes actual turnover behavior. Overall, the findings suggest that job embeddedness is generally beneficial for employee well-being, but its role in retention becomes more complex when well-being processes are considered.