Vision 21(4) 356–366 © 2017 MDI SAGE Publications sagepub.in/home.nav DOI: 10.1177/0972262917733170 http://vision.sagepub.com Article Employee Engagement and Affective Organizational Commitment: Mediating Role of Employee Voice among Indian Service Sector Employees Lalatendu Kesari Jena 1 Pratishtha Bhattacharyya 2 Sajeet Pradhan 3 Abstract Several studies have conceptualized and tested the relationship between employee engagement and affective organizational commit- ment. Yet, the mediating mechanism that explains the association between these two constructs was rarely investigated. This article attempts to test the indirect effect of employee voice on employee engagement—affective organizational commitment linkage by draw- ing responses from 301 executives working in Indian service sector. The finding of the study reported employee voice mediating the association of employee engagement and affective organizational commitment. In conclusion, the implications, limitations of the study and scope for future research are discussed. Key Words Employee Voice, Employee Engagement, Affective Organizational Commitment, Service Sector, India Introduction The modern business environment is fraught with concerns of employee engagement, challenges related to head hunting, turnovers and numerous other external threats (Parzefall & Hakanen, 2010). Employee engagement is considered one of the significant attributes among the Fortune 500 compa- nies, making them the best place to work (Markos & Sridevi, 2010). Several empirical studies endorse the fact that employee ‘engagement’ and ‘commitment’ offer com- panies gain sustainable competitive advantage (Christian, Garza & Slaughter, 2011; Rich, Lepine & Crawford, 2010). Studies have reported employee engagement as a possible antecedent to organizational commitment (Posthuma, Campion, Masimova & Campion, 2013). Kahn (1992) suggested that engaged employees share a positive rela- tionship with their employer and other members of the organization. This finds validation in ‘social exchange theory’, which suggests that mutual respect and appreciation between employer and employee would eventually lead to commitment towards one another (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). Based on this assumption, Saks (2006) reported that engaged employees who share a positive relationship with their employers are likely to possess positive outlook to- wards their organization. In terms of organizational effect, Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) described employee engage- ment at work as a positive experience. Furthermore, this positive experience is described as an antecedent to several work related emotions (Sonnentag, 2003). In this context, affective commitment a significant com- ponent of organizational commitment takes precedence. Affective commitment recognizes how much an employee identifies and associates themself with the organizational goals (Porter, Steers, Mowday & Boulian, 1974). Quite apparently, employee engagement holds the possibility of sharing a closer level of intimacy with the affective domain of organizational commitment. 1 Faculty Member-OB & HR, Department of Business Management, Central University of Orissa, Koraput, India. 2 Doctoral Scholar, Department of Humanities and Social Science, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India. 3 Assistant Professor, International Management Institute, New Delhi, India. Corresponding author: Lalatendu Kesari Jena, Faculty Member-OB & HR, Department of Business Management, Central University of Orissa, Koraput 764020, India. E-mail: lkjena1980@gmail.com