The impact of perceived organizational justice on young nurses' job performance: a chain mediating role of organizational climate and job embeddedness

Background The level of nurses' job performance has always been of great concern, which not only represents the level of nursing service quality but is also closely related to patients' treatment and prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between perceived organizational justice and job performance and to explore the mediating role of organizational climate and job embeddedness among young Chinese nurses. Methods A cross-sectional survey of 1136 young nurses was conducted between March and May 2023 using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Job Performance Scale, Organizational Justice Assessment Scale, Nursing Organizational Climate Scale, and Job Embeddedness Scale, and the resulting data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 26.0. Results There was a significant positive correlation between job performance and perceived organizational justice (r = 0.477, p < 0.01), organizational climate (r = 0.500, p < 0.01), and job embeddedness (r = 0.476, p < 0.01). Organizational climate and job embeddedness acted as chain mediators between perceived organizational justice and job performance. The total effect of perceived organizational justice on job performance (beta = 0.513) consisted of a direct effect (beta = 0.311) as well as an indirect effect (beta = 0.202) mediated through organizational climate and job embeddedness, with the mediating effect accounting for 39.38% of the total effect. Conclusions Organizational climate and job embeddedness play a chain mediating role between perceived organizational justice and job performance, so hospital managers should pay attention to the level of perceived organizational justice among young nurses, and develop a series of targeted measures to improve their job performance using organizational climate and job embeddedness as entry points.