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Drawing from the self-determination theory (SDT) model of work motivation (Gagné and Deci, 2005), the paper aims to examine the relationship between employee intention to stay and happiness through work engagement and analyses how hope acts as a boundary condition in this relationship.

In this study a survey was conducted among the individuals working in the Information Technology (IT) and Information Technology Enable Services (ITeS) sector across India. The data were assessed through PROCESS v.3.3 macros in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS).

The moderated mediation results from 256 responses reveal that the intention to stay is positively related to happiness and that this relationship is mediated by work engagement. The indirect effect of intention to stay on happiness is seen to be strengthened by hope, thus substantiating the moderated mediation hypothesis.

The empirical insights will be valuable for managers and organisations in the IT/ITES sectors around the globe. Happy employees are productive employees, and practitioners should focus on creating a positive environment.

This study aids in understanding the outcomes of intention to stay and moderating the role of hope between intention to stay and work engagement. It highlights how the positive construct of intention to stay and the negative construct of intention to quit, while essentially different, also appear to be two sides of the same coin. If an employee has decided to quit, it would be futile to bear further costs on them, whereas, if they intend to stay, they are unlikely to engage in deviant behaviours.