Employer Brand Experience and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: Mediating Role of Employee Engagement In Sri Lankan Banking Sector

Abstract

Background: Attracting top talent is a critical concern in the banking sector, making employer branding a strategic priority for organizations. Banking employees’ perceptions of their organization’s employer brand play a crucial role in shaping their work behaviors. The present study examines the impact of employer brand experience (EBE) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), with a focus on the mediating role of employee engagement (EE). Objective: Grounded in the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model, this study aims to examine whether favorable employer brand experiences function as a critical job resource that enhances employee engagement, which in turn fosters higher levels of organizational citizenship behaviors. Methodology: Data were collected through convenience sampling from 375 employees working in Sri Lanka’s banking sector. Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping analyses were employed to test the hypotheses. Key Findings: The results indicate that EBE positively influences both EE (β = 0.656, p < 0.001) and OCB (β = 0.631, p < 0.001), while EE also significantly predicts OCB (β = 0.592, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis confirmed that EE partially mediates the relationship between EBE and OCB (indirect effect = 0.393, p < 0.001). Conclusion/ Implication: These findings validate the assumption that when employees experience a positive and trustworthy employer brand, reflected through compensation, training, work–life balance, and corporate social responsibility, they reciprocate through increased engagement and discretionary behaviors. The study extends employer branding literature by linking brand experience with OCB and provides managerial insights for strengthening employee relationships. However, as the research is limited to the Sri Lankan banking sector and based on self-reported data, future studies should explore cross-sectoral and longitudinal approaches.