Beyond ethics: How perceived organizational support amplifies the impact of ethical HRM on employee commitment and performance

: This study explores the dynamic relationship between ethical human resources management (HRM) strategies, the level of commitment an employee feels towards their organization, and their job performance, paying particular attention to how employees’ perceptions of the support they receive from their organization can influence these interactions, especially during challenging times. Drawing on a sample of full-time non-executive Indonesian employees, the research employs descriptive statistics for initial data analysis, followed by structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the proposed hypotheses rigorously. The investigation reveals a positive relationship between ethical HRM and employee performance (EP) and organizational commitment (OC). Additionally, OC emerges as a pivotal mediator in the ethical HRM-EP link. Notably, employees’ organizational support perception (EOSP), often assumed to enhance positive organizational outcomes, displays a surprising negative moderating effect when combined with OC, suggesting a more intricate relationship than traditionally posited. These findings enhance our comprehension of how ethical HRM practices function in times of crisis, questioning conventional beliefs regarding the influence of organizational support. The study’s methodological approach, combining descriptive and advanced statistical analyses, provides a robust framework for understanding these complex relationships. This research holds significant implications for HRM practices, particularly in crisis response and management, indicating a need for nuanced support strategies that reflect the complexity of employee-organization dynamics


Introduction
The demand for ethical human resource management (HRM) is rising in today's turbulent economic landscape.The importance of ethical practices in cultivating a committed and engaged workforce is a critical asset in navigating uncertain times.Meyer and Smith (2000) postulated that commitment has benefits and results in better employee performance.Therefore, a peaceful work environment is essential.Eisenberger et al. (2020) pointed out that workers in supportive settings are more likely to be aligned with their company's goals, which leads to higher productivity.In addition, the relationship between moral HRM and employee engagement needs a sense of support at work.
When employees feel adequately supported, Shore et al. (1995) observed, they become more invested in the company and place a greater emphasis on ethical standards within HR practices.This suggests a strong link between employee wellbeing and ethical conduct.Eisenberger et al. (2020) noted that a work environment where employees' attitudes coincide with an organization's can increase the effectiveness of ethical activities and enhance employee engagement.HRM is critical in affecting employee performance depending on the type of commitment the business is interested in.In today's dynamic environment, neglecting human resources is a recipe for disaster, as Aguinis and Glavas (2012) emphasize.Various forms of engagement, shaping an employee's perception of employer support, directly impact performance.For instance, fostering a solid emotional connection between employees and their company fuels more outstanding emotional commitment, leading to enhanced performance.Nguyen and Tu (2020) argued that when workers are emotionally attached in this powerful way, they exert themselves willingly, which raises performance even higher if the company supports them.To understand the connections between these variables, it is crucial to recognize that employee support perceptions mediate their relationships.Aguinis et al. (2022) state that promoting a happy working environment is essential, and HR outcomes are complicated.It requires a comprehensive methodology to understand how these components interact.To this end, such a strategy should allow for both the direct impact of HRM ethical behaviour on employee performance and incorporate some consideration as to how perceptions that an organization is providing support may indirectly produce higher performance levels.Kurtessis et al. (2017) propose that this study aims to explore this multi-faceted model in depth.By doing this, we aim to illuminate how your employees' attitudes inside might affect whether HRM's ethical practices operate correctly, primarily via strengthening.Robinson (1996) pointed out that employees who believe in their company and its human resources policies will feel more support, which means higher levels of participation and better performance.Kieserling (2019) says that when employees think HRM is ethical, they often feel a special responsibility to return the favour by working even harder, as should be expected in social exchange.
Within business and organizational management, much debate exists about how to manage staff within firms.This belongs to the field of human resource management (HRM).These include recruitment policies, what kind of people an organization recruits and how they are treated.Today, a large consensus is that corporations' ethics settle down to benefit all parties concerned.Employees experience a feeling of being appreciated and honoured, in principle making them more dedicated to their work and thus raising the quality.This puzzle contains an essential missing piece.The literature on how moral HRM enhances performance needs to be completed.However, the degree to which employees 'perceptions of organizational support affect their commitment and performance in response to ethical HRM practices is yet unknown.Do employees 'dedication and performance also change with ethical practices when they feel supported by their organization?This is what this study tries to explore.
Comprehending the complex relationships between moral HRM practices, employees' feelings of support, and their performance and commitment afterwards is helpful.This study explores this underexplored field to empower firms with the knowledge necessary to foster an environment where moral behaviour fosters employee well-being and organizational success.This study ventures beyond established relationships by examining a novel mechanism: how employee perception of organizational support moderates the impact of ethical HRM practices on commitment and performance.This fresh perspective offers vital insights into maximizing the effectiveness of ethical HRM and informs strategic HR development by considering support as a critical factor.By investigating whether perceived support acts as a catalyst or a damper, we aim to illuminate how companies can refine their HR strategies to benefit individuals and the organization.

Ethical HRM practices and employee's performance
Ethical HRM involves several key activities, such as unbiased performance evaluations, equitable hiring processes, and transparent communication (Greenwood, 2002).Additionally, fair compensation should be considered a fundamental human right.Danilwan and Dirhamsyah (2022) suggested that ethical HRM practices significantly contribute to individual and organizational success.Their research delves into the impact of these ethical standards on employee engagement and productivity, emphasizing the importance of a positive workplace environment.Similarly, Cahyadi et al. (2022) discovered that adhering to ethical HRM guidelines leads to increased employee engagement and enhanced performance, fostering a workplace culture of fairness, consideration, and mutual respect.Moreover, Lu et al. (2023) point out that ethical HRM considerably impacts the psychological contract between employer and employee-an implicit expectation agreement for each party in an employment relationship.When an organization meets ethical expectations, fulfilling these standards is easier.Mehdi and Ali (2023) associate breaches in ethical HRM practices with adverse consequences, such as decreased workplace productivity.The objective of their study is to explore how ethical HRM not only fosters a positive work environment but also facilitates the realization of the psychological contract.This, in turn, enhances overall workplace efficiency and boosts employee satisfaction.Besides developing employees' growth and skills, ethical HRM practices are essential to improving their performance.Liao et al. (2021), companies with a reputation for being principled fare better at attracting and retaining top talent.These were generally employees with a higher level of knowledge and skill, thus raising the overall quality of labour.Kakarougkas and Papageorgakis (2023) point out that ethical HRM advocates continuous learning and skill development, which is undoubtedly needed if production conditions change with the times.However, for various reasons, the success of these ethical practices may vary.Mehrajunnisa et al. (2023) mention how authentic ethical practices are seen in other people's eyes.Valecha (2022) says that employees 'differences also affect how these practices are received.These different factors have a bearing on HRM, and organizations must assess them to ensure that their efforts in this direction improve performance.This approach means that when ethical HRM practices are implemented, they can improve employee performance.We hypothesize that organizations using ethical human resource management (HRM) techniques elicit better employee performance.This idea is based on a few key concepts such as workplace fairness, the implied people's contracts between employees and employers, how committed workers are to their work, whether employee skills have value for companies and a question on values.These notions tell us how ethical HRM could impact the performance of employees.The existing research shows a correlation, but we still need to explore how these factors interact more deeply.We plan to explore these complicated relationships more systematically to investigate how ethical HRM can enhance employee performance at work.Given the preceding, the following formulation of the hypothesis could be made: H1. Ethical HRM practices positively influence employee performance.

Ethical HRM practices and organizational commitment
In order to clarify the complicated link between ethical HRM and organizational commitment, a systematic review of existing studies is required to draw relevant hypotheses.The central hypothesis is that ethical HRM positively impacts organizational commitment.They include transparent recruitment, decent wages, objective appraisal of performance and open communication (Danilwan and Dirhamsyah, 2022).According to Mayer et al. (2007), moral HRM procedures are expected to provide psychological safety and trust among employees, motivating them more toward the company.Yandi and Havidz (2021) introduce three different forms of commitment, each representing a unique type of motivation for an employee's adherence to the organization.Affective, continuance and normative practices of ethical HRM promote affective commitment, which covers an emotional attachment, identification with the organization, and a high level of participation.Studies show that employees who regard their organization's HRM practices as moral will likely develop an intense level of affective commitment.These practices fulfil the desire for justice, respect, and social identity.Employees' awareness of the implications of changing jobs can influence their commitment to an organization.Ethical HRM practices, such as fair reward systems and clear progression pathways, can strengthen this commitment, as employees are less likely to relinquish such benefits easily (Ausat et al., 2022).Additionally, when employees perceive their organization as ethically driven, they may view alternative workplaces as less morally aligned, further solidifying their commitment to remain with their current employer (Rahmatullah et al., 2021;Marshoudi et al., 2023).
Ethical treatment can foster a moral obligation in employees to reciprocate with loyalty and commitment, creating a virtuous cycle in organizations that prioritize ethical HRM (Shaikh et al., 2021;Wolor et al., 2022).According to the social exchange theory, this ethical behaviour establishes an institutional relationship whereby the employee is expected to stay with the organization because they feel obliged to debt repayment for having received good treatment (Wolor et al., 2022;Halou et al., 2018).The influence of ethical HRM on organizational commitment is not uniform across differing contexts and may depend heavily upon many factors such as individual difference variables and cultural background type.How employees perceive what constitutes moral treatment depends very much on standards in the workplace, past experiences and personal values (Goetz and Wald 2021).
This hypothesis establishes a basis for the idea that ethical HRM practices are an important prerequisite to promoting commitment intentions in the workforce.In light of the above, the hypothesis could be formulated as follows: H2. Ethical HRM practices positively influence organizational commitment.

Organizational commitment and employee's performance
The relationship between an employee's loyalty to his or her organization and work performance has been a favourite topic of study within organizational psychology and human resource research.Higher levels of organizational commitment are associated with better job performance.This bond is essential to examine, as organizational commitment encompasses the psychological attachment employee harbour towards their employer, influencing their work-related attitudes and behaviours (Nurlaila, 2022).Turi et al.'s (2019) research shows that affective commitment effectively predicts various performance indicators.However, emotional commitment to the company can quickly go beyond a certain level, making it difficult for employees to fulfil their assigned job requirements; therefore, it is known as organizational citizenship behaviours, which would benefit overall performance at work.In contrast, continuance commitment may encourage employees to perform well enough not to be fired even if they do not emotionally identify with the organization.Factors contributing to organizational commitment and performance interplay are complex and must be more easily defined.There is much interaction with elements like job satisfaction and job involvement in this dynamic (Abong et al., 2023).Job satisfaction, for instance, is a mediating variable that affects the relationship between organizational commitment and performance.In addition, an employee's involvement in their work can modify the level of performance that comes with commitment.The interrelationship is also moderated by many things, including supervisory support, work autonomy and the degree to which an employee's values match those of the organization (Allozi et al., 2022).These factors may increase or reduce the effect that organizational commitment has on job performance.
Thus, a hypothesis could be articulated as the relationship between organizational commitment and employee performance is positive in statistics.
H3. Organizational commitment positively influences employee performance.

Organizational commitment, ethical HRM practices and employee performance
By contrast, the hypothesis that organizational commitment mediates ethical HRM practice and employee performance involves an intricate logic requiring large quantities of empirical data.The crux of this theory is to determine whether the impact of ethical HRM policies on employees' performance gets filtered through how much an employee identifies with his organization.According to Sari and Ali (2022), ethical HRM is morally righteous human resource policies and actions that improve the quality of life for both employees and the company.These include fair recruitment, equitable reward management and proper treatment of employees.Chaudhary et al. (2023) point out that these various types of incumbencies affect how employees view their place in the company and what they are doing there.Employees in every kind of commitment are affected differently, shaping their involvement and productivity while at work.The affective commitment of an employee's emotional attachment to their firm significantly predicts whether people would do more than what they were paid (Utomo et al., 2023).This concept suggests that affective commitment can be a bridge, leading from ethically proper HRM practices to better employee performance.
Nonetheless, such organizational commitment can take many forms and may become involved in issues with job characteristics or individual variations among employees (Riketta, 2002).Therefore, the proposed model posits that ethical HRM strengthens organizational commitment and higher employee performance.However, this middle form of organizational commitment is probably open to modification according to the type of commitment involved-affective, continuance, or normativeor an employee's particular job function.In light of the above, the hypothesis could be formulated as follows: H4. Organizational commitment plays a mediating role in the nexus between ethical HRM practices and employee's performance.Zahoor et al.'s (2021) findings indicated that when employees perceive that their company offers substantial support, positive workplace experiences' positive impacts on job performance intensify, and the adverse effects diminish.A strong belief in organizational support is thought to enhance attachment to the organization, making it easier for an increase in one type of commitment (affective) to have even more significant effects on key performance outcomes.The ordinary course of events, from commitment to improved performance, can be derailed when employees feel they need more organizational support.Le et al. (2023) suggest that perceived organizational support (POS) could moderate this scenario.When employees perceive heightened support, it might motivate them to reciprocate by enhancing their productivity.This highlights the potential moderating influence of POS on the link between commitment and performance.In addition, relationships founded on trust and obligation are likely to produce higher performance outcomes under the Social Exchange Theory.A deep sense of having the support and backing of their organizations may motivate employees into more rewarding exchange relationships, thereby boosting performance (Tan et al., 2023).This again points to the potential moderating role that perceived organizational support might play.Figure 1 indicates the conceptual framework of the study.

The moderating effect of employees' organizational support perception
H5. Organizational support perception of crisis positively influences employee performance.
H6. Organizational support perception of crisis moderates the positive association between organizational commitment and employee performance.

Research methodology
The survey included only full-time Indonesian workers, excluding those of top management.The largest group of respondents came from fields we may identify with Indonesia, such as commerce (encompassing both wholesale and retail trade), logistics or suppliers, which include the transportation industry in addition to warehousing; construction and property, hotels and tourism (which not only involves travel but includes dining establishments recreational services like DVD rentals games karaoke etc.International Labor Organization (2020) and World Bank (2021) identified these sectors as worse off than others affected by COVID-19.
To maintain the study's alignment with the target demographic, participants were initially asked a screening question: "Q: Do you have affiliations with any of the mentioned industries in your current role?"Drawing from Hardesty and Bearden (2004), guidance was sought from five HRM experts to refine the survey scales.These components underwent meticulous review, adjustments, and validation by the experts.For linguistic consistency and precise interpretation, a two-step translation method (adapted from Brislin, 1970) was adopted: The original content was first rendered in English, then localized to Indonesian, and subsequently retranslated to align closely with the original version.

Data collection methods and procedures
This study collected data through a structured survey of full-time workers in specific industries with purposive exclusion from the highest echelons of management overall.According to reports by the International Labor Organization and the World Bank, industries selected for this survey were those hit hardest by COVID-19commerce, logistics, construction and real estate services, hospitality, and manufacturing.Later on, after respondents were asked to start the survey, they passed a preliminary question testing their involvement with the industry that guaranteed the usefulness of data collected about the research questions posed.
A panel of five experts in human resources management was assembled to review the survey questions.These complete analyses and suggestions were instrumental in making the survey scales more precise and clear-cut.The survey translation was given special care, so language difficulties were eliminated to make understanding easier.At first, the survey was translated from English into Bahasa Indonesia for use among participants who mostly speak Bahasa Indonesia.A reverse translation back into English was done to ensure fidelity to the original translation and retain its intent.
These two steps of meticulous translation were necessary so that all respondents thoroughly understood the questions and content of this survey.

Measurement scales
In our work, we employed a five-point Likert scale to evaluate some aspects of the model we constructed.Participants could rate these items from 'strongly disagree (1)' to agree (5).
Our research model, illustrated in Figure 1, encompassed four key areas: job performance of employees, interpersonal identity among workers in the organization, crisis management within the corporation and image of its socially responsible HRM.We took the items for these categories from established scales in the existing literature and modified them to fit our particular context.This approach made for a more subtle measurement of the variables we were interested in.
This study considered ethical HRM practices a complex second-order construct with a reflective-reflective character.It comprises three sub-dimensions: five items of perceived employee-oriented HRM, three of perceived general corporate social responsibility (CSR) facilitation HRM, and five of legal compliance HRM practices.The scale below comes from the work of Shen (2011), and it determined whether this higher-order reflective measure accurately measures ethical HRM practices.Items used to recognize organizations' crisis support, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, were based on three new items.These were based on the methodologies of Watkins et al. (2015).Also, we have used six specific items introduced in the study of Chiang and Hsieh (2012), who examined human resources performance.These items were specially selected to reflect our study's different dimensions of worker performance precisely.

Sample size
In selecting participants for our study, we were cautious to select those whose opinions would provide reliable and relevant insight about these problems.As for our criteria, top-level management was explicitly excluded; mid-level and entry-level workers were prioritized.What drove our choice was an intention to understand moral HRM practices and their effects better.However, managers at these levels can provide an alternative and truthful viewpoint different from senior management's more strategic or sweeping perspective.
They often possess first-hand experience related to HRM policies and their effects.We also modified scales derived from previous work, especially those developed by Luu (2021).For example, although the sound essential scales form a good foundation, we changed some of the terminology and examples to reflect modern concerns or were prevalent in places like workplaces (such as those related to fighting against COVID-19).With these refinements, we ensured our measurements were both sound from a theoretical perspective and in line with the actual experiences of those who participated.Our research thus became not only relevant but accessible to all concerned as well.

Analysis techniques
In our research, we employed descriptive statistics to understand data trends initially.This included calculating means, standard deviations, and response distributions related to concepts like socially responsible HRM.Building on this foundation, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to rigorously test our theoretical framework, examining the intricate relationships among variables.Specifically, SEM's path analysis feature allowed us to explore socially responsible HRM practices' direct and mediated effects on job performance.Integrating SEM with descriptive statistics enhanced our methodological approach, revealing complex interconnections and guiding the refinement of measurement tools for our study.

Results and discussion
Table 1 shows that the present study encompassed a diverse group of 400 individuals to provide demographic insights.Regarding age, most participants, 219 or 54.8%, were aged 30 or younger.Those falling within the 31 to 40 years bracket made up 32.5% with 130 individuals, and the age group of 41 years and older was represented by 51 participants, constituting 12.7% of the sample.Gender distribution among the respondents was skewed towards female participants, who comprised 60.5% of the sample, with 242 individuals.Male respondents accounted for 38.8%, totaling 155, while those identifying as 'other' were the least, with only 3 participants making up 0.7% of the sample.The breakdown of professional roles highlighted that nonmanagerial staff were the largest group, with 302 individuals representing 75.5% of the sample.Entry-level and mid-level managers were less represented, with counts of 52 (13%) and 46 (11.5%).Regarding employment duration, those on less than a year contracts were the smallest group at 3% or 12 individuals.The majority were more evenly distributed across other durations: 100 individuals (25%) had contracts ranging from 1 to 2 years; those with contracts over two years were represented by 129 individuals or 32.3% of the sample, and 159 individuals (39.8%) had permanent or indefinite contracts.
The organization size varied across the sample.The most minor organizations, with under 50 employees, included 114 individuals (28.5%).This was followed by 60 individuals (15%) in organizations with 51 to 100 employees and 51 individuals (12.8%) in those with 101 to 200 employees.Organizations sized 201 to 500 and 501 to 1000 employees were represented by 52 (13%) and 46 (11.5%) individuals, respectively.Larger organizations with 1001 to 2,000 and over 2000 employees accounted for 6.8% and 12.5% with 27 and 50 individuals, respectively.Lastly, participants came from a variety of industry sectors.The trade, wholesale, and retail sectors represented the most, with 150 individuals making up 37.5% of the sample.Those in transport, storage, and logistics made up 12.5% with 50 individuals, whereas construction and real estate had a slight edge with 53 individuals or 13.3%.The tourism, hospitality, and leisure sector was represented by 62 individuals, constituting 15.5% of the sample.The manufacturing and processing sector was also significantly represented, with 85 individuals accounting for 21.3% of those surveyed.

Assessment of the measurement model
This investigation started with a thorough validation of the measuring model.The conceptualization of ethical HRM Practices was based on formative indicators, as seen in Table 2, which means that conventional reliability tests like rho_A, composite reliability (CR), and average variance extracted (AVE) are not applicable.The formative dimensions of ethical HRM practices encompassing adherence to legal HRM requirements, the implementation of employee-centric HRM policies, and the promotion of comprehensive CSR in HRM-along with three other reflective constructs (organizational commitment, employee perception of organizational support in crises, and employee performance) exhibited outer loadings from 0.63 up to 0.92.These figures exceed Hulland's (1999) recommended minimum threshold of 0.50.Moreover, the bootstrapped t-values associated with these loadings ranged impressively from 8.61 to 68.17, all well above the critical value of 1.96, denoting statistical significance.Convergent validity is confirmed for the reflective constructs as their AVE values lie between 0.57 and 0.78, comfortably above the desired level of 0.50.Furthermore, the rho_A values exceeded the 0.70 benchmarks (Dijkstra and Henseler, 2015), and the CR values varied from 0.83 to 0.94, each surpassing the reliability threshold of 0.70 (Hair et al., 2019).These findings collectively validate the reliability of the collected data.Figure 2 illustrates a structural equation model (SEM) that maps out the hypothesized relationships between various constructs related to ethical human resource management (EHRM), organizational commitment (OC), and employee performance (EP), with a focus on the moderating role of employee's organizational support perception during crisis (EOSPC).Latent variables, such as different facets of EHRM and OC, are inferred through observed indicators, denoted by boxes (e.g., ES1, RC1), representing these abstract concepts' measurable components.The arrows signify hypothesized directional influences between variables, with coefficients indicating the strength and direction of these relationships.
Table 2 shows that various constructs were measured in this study to ascertain the dimensions of ethical HRM practices, organizational commitment, perception of organizational support in times of crisis, and employee performance.Each construct was scrutinized for reliability and validity using several indicators.Ethical HRM practices were subdivided into three categories: legal compliance, employee-oriented, and general corporate social responsibility (CSR).Legal compliance scored a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85, indicating high internal consistency, with a rho_A value of 0.86 and a composite reliability (CR) of 0.89, confirming the construct's reliability.The average variance extracted (AVE) for this category stood at 0.57, reflecting a moderate level of explained variance for the items within this construct.
Similarly, employee-oriented practices registered a Cronbach's alpha of 0.84 and a rho_A of 0.85, also showcasing high reliability, and the CR was identical to legal compliance at 0.89.The AVE was slightly higher at 0.61.General CSR practices, with a slightly lower Cronbach's alpha of 0.82 and rho_A of 0.83, maintained a CR of 0.89 and showed the highest AVE among the ethical practice constructs at 0.74, indicating a solid variance explained by the construct's items.
Organizational commitment was another focal construct, with its reliability indicated by a Cronbach's alpha of 0.85 and rho_A of 0.87.The CR was consistent with the ethical HRM practices at 0.89 and the AVE at 0.62, signifying a substantial explained variance.The construct measuring employees' perception of organizational support in response to a crisis showed the highest reliability among all constructs with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.89 and rho_A of 0.90.The CR was remarkably high at 0.93, and the AVE of 0.82 suggested that the construct captured most of the observed variables' variance.
Lastly, employee performance was measured with the highest Cronbach's alpha of 0.92 and rho_A of 0.93, signaling high internal consistency.The CR was the highest at 0.94, and the AVE was strong at 0.73, indicating that the construct comprehensively accounted for the variance in the performance measures used in the study.Each of these constructs showed reliability and validity measures above acceptable thresholds, demonstrating that the measurement models used in the study were robust and capable of capturing the complexities of the constructs under investigation.
Table 3 in our study presents a detailed analysis of various constructs.It includes a correlation matrix, the Fornell-Larcker criterion, and the Heterotrait-Monotrait (HTMT) ratio for several categories.These categories include legal compliance (LC), employee-oriented (EO), general CSR (GC), ethical HRM practices (EHRMP), organizational commitment (OC), employee performance (EP), and employees' organizational support perception to crisis (EOSPC).In the correlation matrix, the diagonal elements, highlighted for emphasis, represent each construct's square root of the average variance extracted (AVE).These diagonal elements are crucial in applying the Fornell-Larcker criterion.This table plays a significant role in our analysis, helping us understand the relationships and distinctions between these different constructs in our study.These diagonal values are compared to the off-diagonal items in the corresponding rows and columns to evaluate discriminant validity.For instance, LC shows a value of 0.76, which is higher than its correlations with other constructs (ranging from 0.51 to 0.69), satisfying the Fornell-Larcker criterion.The correlations between constructs (off-diagonal elements) reveal the degree to which variables are linearly related.For instance, EO and GC have a high correlation of 0.75, suggesting a strong relationship.Moreover, EHRMP shows strong correlations with LC, EO,and GC (0.61,0.88,and 0.78,respectively), indicating that it is closely related to these facets of ethical practices.HTMT values, a relatively newer approach to assessing discriminant validity, are indicated by the 'c' next to the correlation coefficients.HTMT values below the threshold (typically < 0.85 or < 0.90, depending on the criterion) suggest adequate discriminant validity.The table implies that all HTMT values are within acceptable limits, though specific values are not provided.

Common method bias analysis
This study used Podsakoff et al. (2003) Harman's single-factor test to investigate the possibility of standard method bias (CMB) inside the cross-sectional dataset.The test's objective was to determine how much of the variance could be accounted for by a single factor; a result greater than 50% would indicate the presence of a significant CMB.The findings showed that the dominant factor, below the critical threshold at 37.26% of the variation, allayed worries about CMB.Furthermore, the examination demonstrated that every construct's average variance extracted (AVE) square root exceeded its maximum correlation with any other construct, verifying discriminant validity (see Table 3).In addition, multicollinearity was looked for by looking at the independent variables' variance inflation factor (VIF) values.

Results of hypothesis testing
Our research used Partial Least Squares (PLS) path modelling to analyze the theoretical framework and examine the proposed relationships.For this, we utilized the Smart PLS software, specifically version 3.2.7.This approach was instrumental in assessing the validity of our hypotheses and understanding the connections within our theoretical model.Following the guidelines by Hair et al. (2019), the primary criterion for appraising the soundness of a PLS model is the coefficient of determination (R 2 ), which elucidates the extent of variability in the dependent variables explained by the independent variables.Chin (1998) interprets R 2 values above 0.67 as robust, above 0.33 as moderate, and those above 0.19 as weak.The R 2 values recorded for constructs related to organizational commitment and employee performance in this study were 0.31 and 0.41, respectively, indicating a moderate explicative power.Moreover, the model's predictive accuracy was affirmed by Stone-Geisser's Q 2 values exceeding zero, confirming the model's predictive validity.Q 2 values are categorized by Hair et al. (2019) as demonstrating minor (above 0), medium (above 0.25), and large (above 0.50) effects.Accordingly, the calculated Q 2 values for organizational commitment and employee performance were 0.18 and 0.29, meeting the acceptable benchmarks.Path coefficients within the structural model were examined to confirm the hypotheses, employing a bootstrapping method with 5000 subsamples drawn from a total sample size of 367 participants to ascertain the significance levels of each association, thereby circumventing the necessity for normality in distribution.Table 4 showcases the results from hypothesis testing exploring the relationships between ethical HRM (human resource management) practices, organizational commitment, employee performance, and employee support perception.Hypothesis 1 reveals a positive and significant effect of ethical HRM on employee performance, as shown by a path coefficient of 0.21 and a t-value of 3.51, demonstrating a less than 0.1% chance of this result being due to random chance, given the p-value of 0.001.Hypothesis 2 indicates a strong and significant positive link between ethical HRM and organizational commitment, with a substantial path coefficient of 0.56 and a t-value of 11.76, signifying a highly reliable result with a p-value well below the 0.01% mark.For hypothesis 3, the data show that organizational commitment positively influences employee performance, with a path coefficient of 0.23 and a t-value of 4.39, which points to a robust significant relationship with a p-value indicating less than 0.1% probability of occurring by chance.Hypothesis 4 examines the mediating effect of organizational commitment in the relationship between ethical HRM and employee performance, reflected by a path coefficient of 0.3.The t-value of 4.35 affirms the significance of this mediation with a very low likelihood of a random result (p-value of 0.001).Hypothesis 5 looks at the direct effect of employee support perception on employee performance, showing a positive effect with a path coefficient of 0.17.This effect is statistically significant, with a t-value of 2.81 and a p-value of 0.005, indicating a less than 0.5% probability of a random occurrence.Finally, hypothesis 6 explores the interaction between employee support perception and organizational commitment and their joint effect on employee performance.The negative path coefficient of −0.13 and a t-value of 3.92 suggests a significant inverse relationship.The p-value of 0.00 shows that this finding is highly unlikely to be due to chance.Table 5 presents the findings from the permutation-based measurement invariance testing.The testing includes evaluations of compositional invariance, with correlations reported near unity (1), confirming the comparability of the construct across different groups.For organizational identification (OI), compositional invariance is affirmed with a near-perfect correlation score of 0.998, falling within a tight confidence interval range of 0.993 to 1.000.
This suggests a high level of consistency in the measurement of OI across the sampled groups.In addition, the test for partial measurement invariance indicated that the mean values for OI were almost equivalent across groups, with only a slight difference indicated by the confidence interval spread from −0.260 to 0.251, which is negligible.Similarly, job performance (JP) exhibits compositional invariance with a correlation of 0.995 and a confidence interval ranging from 0.980 to 1.000.The narrow confidence interval endorses a strong agreement between different respondent groups in the composite measures for JP.For the measurement of job performance (JP), we achieved partial measurement invariance.This was indicated by a slight mean difference, with a confidence interval ranging from −0.255 to 0.265.Although there were some negative mean value differences, these were minor and fell within acceptable limits.This slight variation suggests that the differences across various group comparisons were minimal.Consequently, this supports the reliability of our constructs across different sub-samples in the study.
Our study focused on how employees' perceptions of their organization's support during a crisis affected other relationships.We conducted group comparison analysis using permutation tests and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA).For this, we divided the data on employees' views of organizational crisis management into two categories: one group felt they received substantial organizational support during crises.In contrast, the other felt the support was less.Henseler et al. (2016) suggest that it is essential to ensure measurement invariance of composite models (MICOM) before conducting MGA.The MICOM process involves three steps: firstly, checking if the composite mean and variance are consistent; secondly, evaluating how equivalent the composite scores are; and thirdly, looking for configural invariance.Based on the findings presented in Table 5 and supported by research from Cachón-Rodríguez et al. (2021), Hair et al. (2017), andRasoolimanesh et al. (2017), we determined that it was appropriate to proceed with the MGA and permutation testing, using either complete or partial invariance.Table 6 in our study displays the results of a moderation analysis that looked at how employees' organizational support perception of crisis (EOSPC) influences the relationship between employee performance (EP) and organizational commitment (OC).This analysis was vital in understanding the dynamics of these variables in the context of organizational support during crises.

Discussion
Our study offers a comprehensive roadmap of how EHRM practices influence employee performance.The figures strongly indicate a beneficial connection between these two factors.The results in Figure 3, with the path coefficient of A3-C6 at a significant t-value up to 0.21, show that this positively influences treating ethical practices as part of HRM.This is in line with the findings of Valentine et al. (2006) that ethical business practices will probably enhance employee satisfaction and performance.Our results are consistent with the hypothesis of Cahyadi et al. (2022) that an organizational commitment to ethics is positively related to the performance of employees.Organizational commitment is an essential transmission channel between employee performance and ethical human resource management (EHRM).The link between EHRM and organizational commitment is robust, with a path coefficient of 0.56 and a significant t-value.This hints at a close connection between moral codes in running organizations and employees 'affective or emotional attachment to their organization.According to social exchange theory, employees tend to work harder when they feel their organization holds itself up as an example of high moral standards.These findings add to the work of Meyer and Allen (1991), who found that organizational commitment significantly impacted many different performance varieties at work.Our research indicates that organizations adopting an ethical HRM approach can increase employee commitment, further improving job performance.This study emphasizes the close relationship between ethical HR and organizational commitment.The significant path coefficient linking organizational commitment and job performance also validates a long-held tenet of industrial psychology that more committed workers perform better.The relationship that I have described is not an empty theoretical model.Based on our research, we offer concrete statistical evidence to prove just how much commitment affects work performance.
Our research uncovers an unusual finding about how workers feel towards the assistance they get from their organization, especially in a crisis.The unexpected negative interaction reminded us that there might be other as yet unobserved factors influencing the performance of employees.This surprising finding warrants further investigation into how organizational support, commitment and ethical behaviour affect performance.Another important observation from our study is the inverse relationship between employees 'perceived performance and their assessment of organizational support.
This negative impact on employee performance is a relatively under-researched area within existing literature and needs further exploration in future studies.Our moderation analysis reveals a rather complicated role for perceived organizational support.Our results show a big β difference, which means that the impact of organizational commitment on employee performance can be further strengthened or weakened depending on how much support employees enjoy.This is important because the finding shows that we should not underestimate what perceived support can do for employee outcomes, let alone when crises are swirling.Research into crisis management has examined how employees see organizational support in such times, stressing that the macro-context must be considered part of HRM strategies.Our research is in accord with the views advanced by Ulmer (2001).It extends Donaldson's argument about contingency theory to provide an empirical basis for why perceived organizational support could cause EHRM practices to become more effective.Moreover, our results parallel established research, which argues that ethical business and pleasant work conditions are necessary not only for abstract ideals but also for creating a labour force of quality and quantity.

Theoretical implications
Our study examines the myriad relationships surrounding employee performance (EP), organizational commitment (OC), ethical human resource management (EHRM), and how employees' organization support perception moderates these relations during a crisis.This research has major theoretical significance.This helps our understanding of ethical human resource management, providing concrete evidence that it can improve employee performance.Our figures show that ethical HRM is not simply a moralistic notion, for it concretely will improve employee performance.The path coefficient values in our study provide robust numerical evidence for this relationship.They give a clearer image of how EHRM influences performance metrics.Moreover, the close association we discovered between EHRM and OC emphasizes that ethical behaviour is conducive to building a work environment where employees are more emotionally involved with their employers.Thus, our study contributes to understanding contingency theory and crisis management.It indicates that employees 'perceptions of organizational support are crucial in crises to ensure organizational commitment maximizes performance.This finding implies that employees may discover they have fewer resources during a crisis if their organization does not back them up.This insight is significant to future theoretical frameworks that explain how employees' perceptions of organizational support influence their accessibility and affordability, affecting performance.

Practical implications
Our research has thus made critical theoretical contributions to the study of ethical human resource management (EHRM), and its applied significance is considerable.Another important finding of our study is the significant role EOSPC plays in serving as a buffer, especially during times of crisis.This insight transcends traditional theories like crisis management and contingency theory, which have taken organizations as stable entities that must adapt to or fall in line with exogenous changes.Our research points to the value of employees 'perspectives during times of crisis.It demonstrates that it is not only a matter of how organizations can adjust but also whether they are viewed as providing support for their employees during uncertain times.
These findings from our study reveal clearly that organizations must reassess their methods for handling a crisis, and given the critical role employees' organizational support perception during a crisis (EOSPC) plays in shaping the relationship between EHRM and performance, this is all the more urgent.However, without adequate support in crisis times, the advantages of EHRM will only create a deficiency and drain resources-as reflected by the negative interaction between emergency support and performance.Conserving resources aligns with logic; organizations wish to encourage their employees and help them avoid burning up all energy trying to maintain performance.In sum, our research calls for a change in the business culture.Such a culture can effectively strengthen employee loyalty and satisfaction when support is more than mere talk and actively provided, especially in hard times.This culture helps maintain performance and creates a more involved and flexible workforce.

Conclusion and recommendations
Our research also points to the imperative of EHRM in motivating employee performance and organizational commitment.The study finds that apart from improving employee performance and loyalty, implementing EHRM strategies is necessary for passing ethical muster.Our path coefficients, however, provide numerical solid evidence of EHRM's positive impact on employee performance and organizational commitment evidence, thus providing further reason to believe that practical ethics is necessary for a productive and united workforce.The research also analyzes how employee performance changes under conditions of organizational crisis, especially exploring employees' organizational support perceptions during a crisis (EOSPC).
Our findings note that the effect of organizational commitment on employee performance can change depending on how much support a company gives in times of crisis.This means businesses have even more reason to choose their crisis management approach carefully and the messages they give employees under challenging circumstances.Our study brought to light an unexpected observation: a negative feedback relationship between employee performance and the use of electronic human resource management (EHRM) under crisis conditions.This surprising result illustrates the complexity of human resource dynamics in crises and serves as a reminder to keep researching to understand better what brought this about.This research adds to the growing knowledge about the strategic significance of HRM ethics and complex relationships.For businesses, such results are significant.They are stressing the need to manage employee perceptions, especially in crises.It is a prerequisite for maintaining and improving performance to allocate resources to ethical human resource management practices.From the insights gleaned from this study, businesses can develop organizational cultures that are stronger and more ethical.Thus, they will be better able to meet today's business environment in a healthy, competitive way.

Table 2 .
Measurement of constructs.

Table 4 .
Hypothesis testing and results.

Table 5 .
Results of invariance measurement testing using permutation.

Table 6 .
Results of moderation analysis.