One of the biggest problems that businesses in all fields face is high employee turnover.  High turnover rates can be very expensive for businesses, as they lose knowledge and productivity.  In the Information Technology (IT) sector, where success depends on new ideas, knowledge, and a highly skilled workforce, turnover is an even bigger problem.  Turnover can cause knowledge gaps, raise hiring costs, and make it harder for an organisation to meet deadlines and project goals. This is a big problem for IT companies in fast-growing areas like Uttar Pradesh, India.

Organisational politics is one of the main reasons why employees leave their jobs. This term refers to behaviours that involve self-serving actions, manipulation, and putting personal interests ahead of organisational goals (Ferris et al., 2002).  Organisational politics can create a toxic work environment, make people feel unfairly treated, and lower their trust in management. All of these things can make employees unhappy and make them more likely to leave the company (Kacmar & Baron, 1999; Syed et al. 2022).  In politically charged workplaces, employees often feel left out, unappreciated, or treated unfairly, which can make them less committed to the company and make them look for other jobs.

Nonetheless, studies in organisational behaviour have pinpointed a possible mitigator of these adverse effects—ethical leadership.  Ethical leadership is when a leader has high moral standards, honesty, fairness, openness, and a promise to act ethically (Brown & Treviño, 2006).  People look up to ethical leaders as role models because they not only encourage ethical behaviour but also create a culture of trust and fairness in the workplace.  When workers think their bosses are honest, they are more likely to feel supported, respected, and valued. This, in turn, makes them happier at work and less likely to leave (Walumbwa et al., 2011).

This study primarily investigates whether ethical leadership can serve as a protective barrier against organisational politics and employee turnover intentions.  The study investigates whether ethical leadership alleviates the adverse effects of organisational politics on employees' intentions to resign from their positions.  This study examines the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh, India, to provide new insights into the impact of ethical leadership on employee retention in a region marked by substantial growth in the IT industry, alongside challenges pertaining to organisational culture, workplace politics, and leadership practices.

 In the fast-changing field of IT, where people leave their jobs often, it is very important to understand how ethical leadership can help keep people from leaving.  IT companies in Uttar Pradesh, like many other new markets, have to deal with high turnover rates while also trying to stay ahead of the competition by coming up with new ideas and keeping good workers.  This study examines the interplay among organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employee turnover intentions, providing significant insights for both scholars and practitioners aiming to enhance employee retention and organisational efficacy.

Objectives of the Study

The primary objectives of this research are as follows:

1. To investigate the influence of organisational politics on employee turnover intentions within the IT sector of Uttar Pradesh.
2. To investigate the influence of ethical leadership on diminishing employee turnover intentions.
3. To examine if ethical leadership influences the relationship between organisational politics and employee turnover intentions, particularly serving as a safeguard against the adverse impacts of organisational politics.

Research Questions

The study is directed by the subsequent research enquiries:

1. RQ1: What effect does organisational politics have on employees' plans to leave their jobs in Uttar Pradesh's IT sector?
2. RQ2: What part does ethical leadership play in influencing employees' plans to leave when there is politics at work?
3. RQ3: How much does ethical leadership lessen the bad effects of organisational politics on how likely employees are to leave their jobs?

Rationale for the Study

This study holds significant relevance for various reasons.  First, although organisational politics and turnover intentions are extensively documented in management literature, the precise function of ethical leadership in alleviating the impacts of organisational politics is insufficiently examined, especially within the Indian context.  Second, the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh is a great place to study these dynamics because it is growing quickly, has a lot of different types of people, and has its own problems with leadership and organisational culture.  Third, as IT companies all over the world are becoming more concerned about keeping their employees, the findings of this study can help them find ways to deal with office politics and promote ethical leadership to lower turnover intentions.

 This study aims to fill this gap by looking more closely at how ethical leadership affects how employees think and act in the context of organisational politics. It will focus on how ethical leadership can lower turnover intentions in the fast-growing IT sector of Uttar Pradesh.  In the end, the results will have both theoretical and practical effects on how managers work in emerging markets. They will also add to the larger conversation about leadership and keeping employees in politically charged workplaces.

The literature review in this study examines the fundamental concepts of organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employee turnover intentions. The goal is to lay the groundwork for understanding how these factors are connected and to look at previous research that helps the current study on the role of ethical leadership in reducing the negative effects of organisational politics.

2.1 Organizational Politics

Organisational politics is when people at work do things to get ahead or gain power, often at the expense of the company's goals and the well-being of all employees (Kacmar & Baron, 1999). These actions could include lying, threatening, keeping information from others, and teaming up with others to get what they want. Organisational politics is a common thing in many businesses, but it has a big effect on how employees feel and how well the business does. Employees who perceive elevated levels of organisational politics often encounter heightened stress, job dissatisfaction, and a sense of powerlessness, all of which augment the probability of turnover (Ferris et al., 2002).

Studies have shown a strong connection between how people think about organisational politics and their plans to leave (Kacmar & Baron, 1999). In politically charged environments, employees frequently perceive a disconnection from organisational values and may regard their workplace as unjust and competitive, resulting in disengagement and, ultimately, increased turnover. Research indicates that employees who encounter or perceive elevated levels of organisational politics exhibit diminished job satisfaction, decreased organisational commitment, and an intensified intention to exit the organisation (Bedeian et al., 1999; Kacmar et al., 2007). Vigoda-Gadot (2007) discovered that employees' perceptions of organisational politics are significant predictors of their intention to leave, particularly in high-stress and competitive industries like the IT sector.

2.2 Employee Turnover Intentions

Employee turnover intentions are when someone consciously plans to leave their current job. This is usually because they are unhappy with their job, feel like they aren't getting ahead in their career, or because of the culture of the company or the job market outside of the company (Mobley, 1977). Organisations can lose money when employees have high turnover intentions because it disrupts workflow, costs more to hire and train new employees, and costs more to keep the knowledge and skills of current employees. Employee turnover is a big problem in the IT industry because it's so competitive and skilled workers are always in demand (Cappelli, 2000).

Job satisfaction, commitment to the organisation, work-life balance, and how leaders act are all factors that affect turnover intentions. One important factor is politics at work, which can make the workplace toxic and make people want to find better jobs (Kacmar & Baron, 1999). Studies indicate that employees who perceive political marginalisation or exclusion are more inclined to contemplate resignation, as they endure frustration, stress, and a sense of disconnection from the organisation (Vigoda-Gadot, 2007). Consequently, comprehending the mechanisms that affect turnover intentions is essential for organisations aiming to enhance retention, especially in industries such as IT, where talent loss can yield significant repercussions.

2.3 Ethical Leadership

Ethical leadership is a relatively new idea in the field of leadership studies. Brown and Treviño (2006) define it as "the demonstration of normatively appropriate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the promotion of such conduct to followers." Ethical leaders are those who stick to moral values like honesty, fairness, openness, and caring about others. They not only set an example of how to act ethically, but they also create rules and systems that encourage ethical decision-making and build a culture of trust and respect in the workplace.

Ethical leadership has been demonstrated to significantly influence employee outcomes, encompassing job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and performance (Walumbwa et al., 2011). When leaders act ethically, they make their employees feel valued, respected, and treated fairly. This makes employees more engaged and loyal (Brown et al., 2005). On the other hand, unethical leadership behaviours like favouritism, lying, and exploitation can make employees unhappy, lower morale, and make them more likely to leave.

Ethical leadership is very important in the world of organisational politics because it helps lessen the bad effects of politics. Ethical leaders encourage fairness and openness, make people feel less like they are being treated unfairly, and create a work environment that supports open communication and teamwork. Leaders who model ethical behaviour make it less likely that political behaviour will thrive because employees are more likely to follow the company's values than use self-serving tactics. Mayer et al. (2009) found that ethical leadership can help lessen the bad effects of office politics by creating a culture that values fairness and ethical behaviour. This has significant ramifications for employee retention, as individuals in ethically led organisations are less inclined to view politics as harmful to their well-being and are more likely to maintain their commitment to the organisation.

2.4 The Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership

Organisational politics can make the workplace toxic and stressful, but ethical leadership can help lessen its bad effects on employee outcomes, especially when it comes to turnover intentions. Numerous studies have investigated the moderating role of ethical leadership in organisations characterised by elevated political dynamics, revealing that ethical leadership can substantially mitigate the influence of organisational politics on employee behaviour.

For example, Mayer et al. (2009) found that ethical leadership makes the link between politics in the workplace and employees' plans to leave weaker. Ethical leaders can lessen the negative effects of workplace politics by encouraging fairness, openness, and making decisions based on ethics. This makes employees feel less like organisational politics is a threat to their health. Additionally, ethical leadership fosters trust and mutual respect between employees and management, cultivating a more positive work environment where employees are less inclined to perceive politics as a motive for departure (Brown & Treviño, 2006).

Research by Walumbwa et al. (2011) similarly discovered that ethical leadership fosters a culture of inclusivity and fairness, thereby diminishing the probability of employees experiencing exclusion or political subversion. This, in turn, makes employees less likely to want to leave their jobs because they feel that their work is appreciated and valued. In the IT industry, where keeping good workers is especially important, ethical leadership can be a great way to keep employees happy and cut down on turnover (Mayer et al., 2009).

2.5 Context of the Uttar Pradesh IT Sector

The IT industry in Uttar Pradesh has grown quickly over the past ten years because more people want technology services and there are more skilled workers available. But this growth has also brought problems, such as more competition for talent, a fast-paced work environment, and the rise of politics within the organisation. There are both global and local companies in Uttar Pradesh's IT sector. Each has its own way of doing things, including how they lead and manage their employees. In this situation, ethical leadership is especially important for reducing the bad effects of politics in the workplace.

The social, cultural, and economic conditions in Uttar Pradesh also affect how organisations work. In a state where old ways of doing things sometimes clash with new ways of doing business, companies may have problems with hierarchy, power distance, and management styles. These factors may exacerbate perceptions of organisational politics, necessitating an examination of how ethical leadership can impact employee turnover intentions in this specific context.

2.6 Research Gaps and Contribution of the Study

Even though there is more and more research on organisational politics, ethical leadership, and turnover intentions, there are still some areas that need more study. First, a lot of the research that has already been done is about Western countries, and there isn't much research on these topics in emerging markets, especially India. Second, although research has demonstrated the correlation between organisational politics and turnover intentions, there is a paucity of studies examining the specific influence of ethical leadership in moderating this relationship within sectors such as IT. This study seeks to address existing gaps by offering empirical evidence from the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh, India, thereby enhancing global comprehension of how ethical leadership can mitigate the adverse effects of organisational politics and diminish turnover intentions.

3. Hypotheses of the study

Based on the literature review, the following hypotheses are formulated:

• H1: Organizational politics positively affects employee turnover intentions in the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh.
• H2: Ethical leadership negatively affects employee turnover intentions.
• H3: Ethical leadership moderates the relationship between organizational politics and employee turnover intentions, such that the relationship is weaker when ethical leadership is high.

This part explains the study's research design, data collection methods, sampling strategy, measurement tools, and data analysis methods used to look at the link between organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employees' plans to leave their jobs in the IT sector of Uttar Pradesh, India. To get a full picture of the things being studied, a mixed-methods approach is used.

4.1 Research Design

This study employed a mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. This methodology allows the researcher to obtain a comprehensive array of perspectives, evaluate the statistical relationships among variables, and investigate profound insights into the contextual and individual dimensions of the study. The quantitative phase employs structured surveys to assess perceptions of organisational politics, ethical leadership, and turnover intentions, whereas the qualitative phase utilises semi-structured interviews to obtain more nuanced insights from employees and managers concerning the role of ethical leadership in mitigating the effects of organisational politics on turnover intentions.

4.2 Sample and Data Collection

4.2.1 Sample Selection

The sample includes workers from 15 IT companies in Uttar Pradesh, India. The IT industry in this area has grown a lot, making it a great place to look into issues like employee turnover, office politics, and leadership. A stratified random sampling method was employed to guarantee representation from different organisational tiers, encompassing technical staff, management, and support personnel. The sample also had a wide range of ages, genders, and years of experience.

The quantitative survey had 300 employees take part, and they all gave different answers because they worked at different levels in the organisation. Twenty employees and managers from various companies were also chosen for semi-structured interviews to collect qualitative data.

4.2.2 Data Collection Procedures

1. Quantitative Data: An online survey was used to collect the quantitative data for the study. The survey was sent out by email to workers at the chosen IT companies. It had closed-ended questions that were meant to measure the main factors: organisational politics, ethical leadership, and plans to leave.  People who answered were asked to rate how much they agreed with different statements on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being "strongly disagree" and 5 being "strongly agree."  It should take about 15 to 20 minutes to finish the survey.

2. Qualitative Data: Twenty employees and managers were interviewed in depth to learn more about how ethical leadership affects how employees see organisational politics and their plans to leave the company. The interviews were semi-structured, which meant that participants could talk about their experiences and points of view while still keeping things the same across all of them. The interviews were done in person or over video calls, and each one lasted about 30 to 45 minutes.  Interviews were audio-recorded (with participant consent) and transcribed for analysis.

4.3 Measurement Instruments

4.3.1 Organizational Politics

A 12-item scale created by Kacmar and Ferris (1991) and widely used in organisational behaviour research was used to measure how people thought about organisational politics. The scale gauges employees' perceptions of political conduct within the organisation, encompassing issues such as favouritism, manipulation, and insufficient transparency. Some items on the scale are: "There is a lot of behind-the-scenes manipulation in this organisation" and "Promotions are based on political behaviour instead of merit."

4.3.2 Ethical Leadership

The 10-item scale created by Brown et al. (2005) was used to measure ethical leadership. This scale looks at how employees see their leaders' ethical behaviour. The scale has questions that test how fair, open, caring, and honest the leader is. Some examples are: "My leader shows high standards of ethical behaviour" and "My leader sets an example of honesty and fairness in the organisation."

4.3.3 Employee Turnover Intentions

We used a 3-item scale based on Mobley (1977) to measure how likely employees were to leave their jobs. Examples of items are: "I am actively looking for another job" and "I will probably leave my job in the next year." We used a 5-point Likert scale to rate these items, with 1 meaning "strongly disagree" and 5 meaning "strongly agree."

4.4 Data Analysis

4.4.1 Quantitative Data Analysis

We used Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to look at the quantitative data. This is a statistical method that lets us test complicated relationships between observed and latent variables. SEM is especially good for this study because it lets us look at both direct and indirect effects, like how ethical leadership can change the relationship between organisational politics and turnover intentions. SEM offers a thorough approach for assessing the proposed model and determining the compatibility of the measurement and structural models.

Before doing SEM, the data were checked for missing values, outliers, and multicollinearity. First, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was done to make sure that the measurement model was valid and that each variable had good reliability and construct validity.

4.4.2 Qualitative Data Analysis

We used thematic analysis to look at the qualitative data we got from the interviews. This is a common way to find, look at, and report on patterns or themes in qualitative data. The process included these steps:

1. Familiarization: Transcribing interviews and reading through the data to become familiar with the content.
2. Coding: Making the first codes based on important topics like job satisfaction, turnover intentions, organisational politics, and ethical leadership.
3. Theme Development: Putting together codes that are similar into bigger themes that show the main patterns in the data.
4. Interpretation: Making judgements about how ethical leadership affects how employees see organisational politics and how likely they are to leave the company.

The thematic analysis provided a more nuanced comprehension of employees' and managers' perceptions regarding the role of ethical leadership in mitigating the adverse impacts of organisational politics on turnover intentions. It also gave us a better understanding of the specific problems that IT companies in Uttar Pradesh face.

5. Data Analysis and Results

5.1 Descriptive Statistics

The sample's descriptive statistics give a general idea of the participants' demographics and the organisations they worked for. There were 300 people in the sample, all of whom worked for 15 IT companies in Uttar Pradesh. A stratified random sampling method was used to choose participants so that they were spread out evenly across different levels of the organisational hierarchy.

Table:1 Demographic profile

• Gender Distribution: The sample had 60% male and 40% female employees. This is a typical gender distribution in the IT sector, which usually has more male employees but is becoming more diverse over time.
• Age: The average age of the workers was 28 years, which is in line with the general trend in the IT industry, where a lot of workers are young and just starting out in their careers.
• Roles: A large part of the sample (70%) worked in technical jobs, like software developers, engineers, and IT specialists.  The other 30% worked in management or support roles, such as team leaders, project managers, and human resources staff.
• Employment Tenure: More than half of the employees had been with the company for less than five years, which is typical for the IT industry, where people leave jobs often. People in this age group who have only been with the company for a short time are more likely to look for new ways to grow and advance in their careers.

5.2 Hypothesis Testing

H1: Organizational politics positively affects employee turnover intentions in the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh.

Test Used:

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to evaluate this hypothesis. SEM is a strong statistical method that lets researchers model complicated connections between observed and hidden variables and see how strong these connections are.

Interpretation

The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) analysis results provide significant insights into the connections between organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employees' intentions to leave their jobs.

The analysis verifies that organisational politics exerts a substantial positive influence on employee turnover intentions.  Employees who see more political behaviour at work, like favouritism, manipulation, and a lack of openness, are more likely to think about leaving the company.  The coefficient of 0.52 and the p-value of less than 0.01 show that this relationship is statistically significant. This means that organisational politics is a major reason why employees choose to leave.

H2: Ethical leadership negatively affects employee turnover intentions in the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh.

Test Used:

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to evaluate this hypothesis.

Table for H2: Ethical Leadership and Employee Turnover Intentions

Interpretation:

The analysis shows that ethical leadership has a big negative effect on how likely employees are to leave their jobs.  The negative coefficient of -0.36 shows that employees are less likely to leave the company when they see their leaders as more ethical (i.e., fair, honest, open, and respectful).  The estimate is accurate and trustworthy because the standard error is 0.04.

The z-value of -9.0 is large and statistically significant, which means that there is a strong and reliable link between ethical leadership and turnover intentions.  The p-value of < 0.05 shows that the effect is statistically significant, which means that the relationship that was seen is unlikely to have happened by chance.

The result backs up the idea that ethical leadership is important for lowering turnover intentions by making people feel safe and fair.  People are more likely to stay at a job if they feel respected and if the leaders act in ways that are morally right.  This result shows how important ethical leadership is for keeping employees, especially in fields like IT where people leave jobs often.

H3: Ethical leadership moderates the relationship between organizational politics and turnover intentions in the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh, such that the relationship is weaker when ethical leadership is high.

Test Used:

Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesis. SEM can look at complicated relationships, including how a third variable affects them.  In this instance, the moderating influence of ethical leadership on the correlation between organisational politics and turnover intentions was evaluated.

Table for H3: Moderating Effect of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Politics and Turnover Intentions

Interpretation:

The results indicate that ethical leadership moderates the relationship between organisational politics and employee turnover intentions.  The negative coefficient of -0.23 indicates that the association between organisational politics (such as manipulation, favouritism, and lack of transparency) and turnover intentions diminishes when ethical leadership is regarded as elevated.

In other words, if employees think their bosses are doing the right thing, organisational politics will have less of an effect on their desire to leave the company.  Ethical leadership helps lessen the feelings of unfairness, isolation, and injustice that often come up in politically charged workplaces.

The z-value of -4.6 and the p-value of less than 0.05 show that this moderating effect is statistically significant.  This shows that the effect is strong and probably not just a random change.

The results support the idea that ethical leadership can help protect against the bad effects of politics in the workplace.  In organisations characterised by elevated ethical leadership, the influence of organisational politics on turnover intentions is markedly diminished, indicating that employees perceive greater support, value, and equitable treatment, irrespective of the surrounding political dynamics.

5.3 Qualitative Insights

The qualitative data obtained from the interviews provided a detailed comprehension of the impact of ethical leadership on employees' perceptions of organisational politics and their intentions to leave the organisation. Thematic analysis revealed several key themes that offered significant insights into the dynamics of leadership and organisational behaviour within the IT sector of Uttar Pradesh.

Ethical Leadership and Employee Retention

Employees who thought their leaders were honest were much more likely to stay with their companies, even though there was politics in the workplace. These workers stressed how important it is for leaders to be honest, fair, and open. People thought ethical leaders were honest and reliable, which helped lessen the bad effects of politics in the workplace. When employees knew that their leaders were committed to ethical behaviour, they felt safer and more supported, which made them less likely to want to leave the company. Employees said in interviews that even when there was politics at work, the ethical behaviour of their bosses made the workplace more bearable, which made them less likely to leave.

The Negative Impact of Unethical Leadership

On the other hand, employees who worked for leaders they thought were dishonest were more likely to be unhappy and want to leave the company. These workers talked about favouritism, lack of openness, and making decisions based on personal preference, which made the workplace toxic. Many people said that these kinds of actions not only made them feel disrespected and undervalued, but also made them feel like there was more politics going on in the organisation. When employees thought their leaders were acting unethically, they felt like their work wasn't being recognised and their careers weren't moving forward because of their leaders' unfair actions. This made people feel more alone and frustrated, which made them more likely to leave their jobs.

Managerial Perspectives on Ethical Leadership

From a management point of view, ethical leadership was seen as an important part of creating a good workplace culture. Managers recognised the existence of organisational politics within their teams but stressed that they could alleviate its impact by exemplifying ethical conduct themselves. They talked about how important it is to be open and honest with employees and to make decisions in a clear way. Managers thought they could lessen the bad effects of politics on employee engagement and retention by quickly dealing with unethical behaviour and encouraging a culture of fairness.

Impact of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Commitment

In general, the qualitative insights showed that ethical leadership had a big effect on how committed employees were to the organisation. Workers were more likely to stay with the company if they thought their bosses were honest and fair. This was especially true in the IT field, where workers are often under a lot of stress and competition. People thought that ethical leadership was a big reason why people were less unhappy at work, more trusting, and more committed to their jobs, which led to fewer people wanting to leave their jobs.

The findings of this study offer substantial insights into the interplay among organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employee turnover intentions within the IT sector of Uttar Pradesh, India. This study substantiates the detrimental impact of organisational politics on employee turnover and underscores the essential function of ethical leadership in alleviating these effects. The results add to the growing body of research on leadership, how organisations work, and how to keep employees, and they have important real-world effects for businesses, especially in fast-paced fields like IT.

Impact of Organizational Politics on Employee Turnover Intentions

The study corroborated that organisational politics exerts a substantial positive influence on employee turnover intentions, thereby validating the conclusions of prior research (Kacmar & Baron, 1999; Ferris et al., 2002). Employees who see a lot of politics at work, like favouritism, manipulation, and a lack of openness, are more likely to be unhappy with their jobs, stressed out, and feel like they don't belong. These bad feelings make people more likely to want to leave the company. This finding is especially important in the IT field, where the fast-paced and competitive work environment can make the bad effects of office politics even worse. Employees are more likely to leave and look for new jobs when there are power struggles, unfair treatment, and unethical behaviour in the workplace. So, managing politics in the workplace is very important for keeping a stable and dedicated workforce.

The Role of Ethical Leadership in Reducing Turnover Intentions

One of the most important things this study found is that ethical leadership has a big negative effect on turnover intentions. This finding is consistent with prior studies regarding the influence of leadership on employee retention (Brown & Treviño, 2006; Walumbwa et al., 2011). Leaders who are ethical and show fairness, honesty, and integrity make the workplace a place where employees feel valued and respected. Ethical leadership builds trust and commitment among employees, which is the opposite of what happens in organisations where politics rules. This study substantiates that employees are less inclined to depart from organisations governed by ethical leaders, even in the presence of organisational politics. Employees feel safe, fair, and trusted when they have ethical leaders. This makes them feel less alone and more connected to the company. This shows how important it is for leaders to make decisions based on ethics and be open about them, especially in fields like IT where people leave jobs often.

Ethical Leadership as a Buffer Against Organizational Politics

This study's most original finding is that ethical leadership affects the link between organisational politics and employees' plans to leave their jobs. The analysis showed that the negative effect of organisational politics on turnover intentions is much less strong in companies where ethical leadership is seen as strong. When leaders act in an ethical way, employees are less likely to see organisational politics as a threat to their health and happiness. Instead, ethical leadership creates a sense of fairness and lessens the bad feelings that usually come with organisational politics, like stress and job dissatisfaction.

This finding is especially important for IT companies in Uttar Pradesh, where office politics is a common problem. Organisations can lessen the negative effects of politics on employee morale and retention by putting ethical leadership first. Ethical leadership serves as a protective barrier that diminishes the probability of employee attrition resulting from the detrimental effects of political conduct. This finding is in line with Mayer et al. (2009), who said that ethical leadership helps people feel less unfairly treated and improves things like job satisfaction, commitment to the organisation, and staying with the company.

This research has yielded significant insights into the intricate dynamics among organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employee turnover intentions within the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh, India.  The study underscores the considerable influence of organisational politics on employee turnover intentions, illustrating that political behaviours such as favouritism, manipulation, and opacity can result in heightened dissatisfaction, alienation, and an increased propensity for employees to depart from their organisations.

The study also shows how important ethical leadership is in protecting people from the effects of organisational politics on their plans to leave.  Ethical leadership, defined by fairness, transparency, and integrity, mitigated the adverse effects of organisational politics on employees' decisions to exit the organisation.  Employees who viewed their leaders as ethical were more inclined to remain with their organisations, even in contexts characterised by organisational politics.

The main results of this study are:

1. Organisational Politics and Turnover Intentions: Organisational politics greatly raises the likelihood that employees will leave their jobs. Employees who observe elevated political behaviour within their organisations are more inclined to contemplate departure.
2. Ethical Leadership and Turnover Intentions: Ethical leadership has a bad effect on people's plans to leave. Employees are less likely to leave the company if they think their bosses are honest.
3. The Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership: Ethical leadership affects how organisational politics and turnover intentions are related. In organisations with strong ethical leadership, the negative effect of organisational politics on turnover intentions is much less strong.

These results have both practical and theoretical consequences.  In practice, companies, especially those in fields with a lot of turnovers like IT, should make ethical leadership a top priority to keep employees and cut down on turnover.  Organisations can lessen the bad effects of office politics and make the workplace more supportive by encouraging a culture of honesty, fairness, and moral behaviour.  Teaching leaders to set a good example and dealing with unethical behaviour right away can make employees much happier and less likely to leave.

From a theoretical standpoint, this study enhances the current literature on organisational politics, ethical leadership, and employee turnover intentions by emphasising the moderating effect of ethical leadership in mitigating the adverse consequences of organisational politics.  It posits that ethical leadership may serve as a pivotal element in bolstering organisational commitment and enhancing employee retention, especially in contexts characterised by significant organisational politics.

Finally, although this study concentrated on the IT sector in Uttar Pradesh, subsequent research may examine analogous dynamics in different sectors and regions, as well as explore the influence of alternative leadership styles in alleviating the effects of organisational politics on turnover intentions.  Longitudinal studies could yield more profound insights into the enduring impacts of ethical leadership on employee retention.

In conclusion, encouraging ethical leadership in companies is not only a way to keep employees longer, but it is also an important part of creating a positive and lasting company culture.  Ethical leadership is very important for reducing the bad effects of organisational politics and increasing employee commitment, which will help the organisation succeed in the long run.

1. Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (1995). Individual consideration viewed at multiple levels of analysis: A multi-level framework for examining the diffusion of transformational leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 199-218.
2. Bedeian, A. G., Ferris, G. R., & Kacmar, K. M. (1999). "Coping with organizational politics: The influence of job stress and locus of control on employees' responses to politics." Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54(3), 299-312.
3. Brown, M. E., & Treviño, L. K. (2006). "Ethical leadership: A review and future directions." The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 595-616.
4. Cheng, B. S., Chou, L. F., & Jen, C. H. (2004). "Organizational politics and its relationship with organizational commitment and job satisfaction." International Journal of Management, 21(4), 405-415.
5. Ferris, G. R., Adams, G. L., Kolodinsky, R. W., & Hochwarter, W. A. (2002). "Organizational politics and organizational support as predictors of work outcomes." Human Relations, 55(9), 1033-1056.
6. Ferris, G. R., Russ, G. S., & Fandt, P. M. (1989). "Politics in organizations." Business Horizons, 32(5), 59-64.
7. Gandz, J., & Murray, V. V. (1980). "The experience of workplace politics." Academy of Management Journal, 23(2), 237-251.
8. Judge, T. A., & Bono, J. E. (2001). "Relationship of core self-evaluations traits—self-esteem, generalised self-efficacy, locus of control, and emotional stability—with job satisfaction and job performance: A meta-analysis." Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(1), 80-92.
9. Kacmar, K. M., & Baron, R. A. (1999). "Organizational politics: The state of the field, links to related processes, and an agenda for future research." Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management, 17, 1-39.
10. Kacmar, K. M., & Ferris, G. R. (1991). "Perceptions of organizational politics." Journal of Management, 17(1), 93-116.
11. Leventhal, G. S. (1980). "What should be done with equity theory? New approaches to the study of fairness in social relationships." In Social Exchange: Advances in Theory and Research (pp. 27-55). Springer.
12. Mayer, D. M., Aquino, K., Greenbaum, R. L., & Kuenzi, M. (2009). "Who displays ethical leadership, and why? An investigation of antecedents of ethical leadership." Journal of Applied Psychology, 94(3), 789-803.
13. Mobley, W. H. (1977). "Intermediate linkages in the relationship between job satisfaction and employee turnover." Journal of Applied Psychology, 62(2), 237-240.
14. Northouse, P. G. (2018). Leadership: Theory and Practice (8th ed.). Sage Publications.
15. Parolini, J. L., & Lombardi, F. (2018). "Ethical leadership and employee retention in the healthcare sector." International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 31(2), 137-150.
16. Turnley, W. H., & Feldman, D. C. (2000). "The impact of psychological contract violation on employees’ attitudes and behaviors." Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 83(1), 55-81.
17. Tushman, M. L., & O'Reilly, C. A. (2007). "Building ambidextrous organizations: Management systems that create value through organizational learning." California Management Review, 50(4), 8-30.
18. Vigoda-Gadot, E. (2007). "Leadership style, organizational politics, and employees’ performance: An empirical examination of two competing models." Personnel Review, 36(5), 479-501.
19. Walumbwa, F. O., Avolio, B. J., & Zhu, W. (2011). "How transformational leadership weaves its influence on individual job performance: The role of identification and efficacy beliefs." Personnel Psychology, 64(3), 847-873.
20. Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in Organizations (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
21. Syed, A. A., Gupta, S., Rai, D., & Tripathi, R. (2022). Assessing if challenge stressors work as a source of motivation among the employees in the Indian banking industry. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 15(3), 59-67.