Do Temporary Workers Always Lower Workgroup Effectiveness? The Moderating Effect of Job Similarity in Blended Workgroups

Workgroups containing both permanent and temporary workers are often referred to as being ‘blended’. There exists a general view in the literature that workgroups blended in this way function less well with greater rather than fewer temporary workers. However, this notion has received little direct testing. Drawing on social identity theory and the input-process-output model of group effectiveness, this study examines the performance of 131 workgroups containing varying proportions of temporary agency workers, along with the proposed group processes: distributive justice climates reported by permanent and temporary workers and altruistic behaviors from permanent to temporary workers and vice versa. We find that blended workgroups with a greater proportion of temporary workers do not exhibit poorer justice climates, altruism, or performance; the hypothesized negative effects only emerge when jobs performed by temporary and permanent workers within the workgroup are highly similar. Counter to expectations, a positive indirect effect between proportion of temporary workers to workgroup performance via altruism from permanent to temporary workers was found when job similarity is low. Theoretical and practical implications are considered, focusing on the importance of managing social identity threat in blended workgroups.     

Job insecurity in the younger Spanish workforce: Causes and consequences

The Spanish labor market is currently an example of a flexible labor market. However, it involves a set of detrimental conditions for its workforce, such as lower employability in the labor market and underemployment (i.e. over-qualification and underemployment in time). In this study, we assume that all these conditions promote higher job instability, which is especially serious for the younger population. Hence, the present study aims to examine, on the one hand, how these specific labor conditions affect younger employees' concerns about job loss or job insecurity and, on the other, how this job insecurity can affect their current job performance and the future development of their career. The study sample was composed of 3000 Spanish younger employees. Results showed a significant relationship between employability and underemployment and job insecurity, as well as a significant association between job insecurity and work involvement. Indeed, the relationship between employability and underemployment and work involvement was mediated by job insecurity. Lowemployable, overqualified and temporary young workers experience higher levels of job insecurity, which, in turn, negatively affects their work involvement.     

Job insecurity in Finland: Antecedents and consequences

Abstract

Trends towards more unpredictable and flexible labour markets are often presumed to fuel feelings of job insecurity among employees, especially the threat of losing one's job. The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence, antecedents, and consequences of job insecurity in a representative sample of Finnish wage and salary earners (N = 3503) gathered in 1990. One out of ten respondents felt the threat of lay-off, dismissal, or unemployment. According to hierarchical regression analysis, perceived job insecurity was best explained by positional factors, especially earlier unemployment experiences and the temporary nature of the employment relationship. The role of demographic factors predicting job insecurity was strikingly minor. Variance and regression analysis confirmed the negative effects of perceived insecurity on work and health behaviour found in previous studies. Social support was found to have a light moderating effect in alleviating the negative effects of job insecurity. Thus, job insecurity was a psychological stressor with adverse effects for a sizeable proportion of the employees.     

Job insecurity and well-being: The moderating role of job dependence

Job insecurity has become more relevant during the last decades as more flexibility from the workforce and organizations is demanded in the labour market. It has frequently been suggested that job insecurity is a more severe stressor for those who are more dependent on their job. The present study investigates the association between job insecurity and employee well-being by focusing on how employees’ dependence on the job moderates this relationship. Two types of financial dependence (subjective financial dependence and relative contribution to the household income) were studied, along with an indicator of a more psychological dependence on work in general (work involvement). In addition to this, both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity were included. The proposed relations were tested in a sample of Swedish accountancy firm employees. The results of moderated hierarchical regression analyses showed that subjective financial dependence, household contribution, and work involvement moderated the relation between both job insecurity dimensions and job satisfaction. No moderations were found with mental well-being as an outcome. This implies that the extent to which someone depends on their job is important for how job insecurity relates to job satisfaction.     

Job Insecurity Research is Still Alive and Kicking Twenty Years Later: A Commentary

This paper comments on the review of longitudinal job insecurity studies in this special issue. The main conclusion of that review, namely that job insecurity leads to poor health and well‐being, remains undisputed. It is argued, however, that future job insecurity research should focus more on: (a) uncovering the underlying psychological mechanisms of job insecurity; (b) the effects of new forms of labor contracts; (c) differences across nations as a function of different social security systems; and (d) the effects of organisations. It is concluded that job insecurity is a problem of our time and that 20 years after the publication of Dekker and Schaufeli's study on job insecurity among workers in Australian public transport corporation, psychological job insecurity research is still alive and kicking.     

The impact of job insecurity and contract type on attitudes,well‐being and behavioural reports: A psychological contract perspective

Research on the impact of job insecurity for temporary employees has been largely exploratory and atheoretical in nature. This paper addresses this issue by considering the role of job insecurity on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, life satisfaction, and self‐rated performance among permanent employees (N = 396) as compared with temporary ones (N = 148). Hypotheses are formulated using the tradition of transactional versus relational psychological contract types. Psychological contract theory assumes (1) that job insecurity effects are due to a violation of the relational psychological contract, and (2) that permanents as compared with temporaries engage more in relational psychological contracting. As a result, job insecurity is expected to be problematic in terms of outcomes for permanents, but not for temporaries. Results validate the assumptions made in psychological contract theory. Furthermore, job insecurity proved problematic for permanents but not for temporaries when job satisfaction and organizational commitment are concerned. No such differential effects are observed for life satisfaction and self‐rated performance. Implications for future research are discussed.     

Core Self-Evaluations and Job and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating and Moderated Mediating Role of Job Insecurity

This study examined the mediating role of job insecurity in the relationship between core self-evaluations (CSE) and job satisfaction, while also investigating the moderating role of job insecurity in the mediated relationship between CSE and life satisfaction via job satisfaction. Survey data were collected from a sample of 346 full-time employees in Taiwan. We found that job insecurity partially mediated the CSE-job satisfaction relationship. Moreover, we found that job insecurity moderated not only the relationship between CSE and job satisfaction but also the mediated relationship between CSE and life satisfaction via job satisfaction. Specifically, both the CSE-job satisfaction relationship and the CSE-job satisfaction-life satisfaction relationship became stronger when job insecurity was low. Our results emphasize the importance of raising employees' CSE, which is beneficial not only for diminishing their perceptions of job insecurity, but also for boosting their job and life satisfaction. Practical implications and directions for future research are discussed.     

The Role of Occupational Self-Efficacy in Mediating the Effect of Job Insecurity on Work Engagement,Satisfaction and General Health

This study explores the associations among job insecurity, occupational self-efficacy, work engagement, job satisfaction and health and the mediation role of occupational self-efficacy. Two hundred and forty-one workers, were asked to fill in the Occupational Self-Efficacy Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the Satisfaction Scale of Occupational Stress Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire. Mediation analysis was performed using the boot-strapping method. Job insecurity was negatively related to work engagement, job satisfaction and general health. Occupational self-efficacy mediated the relationship between job insecurity, work engagement, job satisfaction and health on employees in the private and public sectors. The originality of this work is that it shows the effect of job insecurity on engagement, satisfaction and health, and the mediational role of occupational self-efficacy. In a time of economic crisis, when it is not possible to guarantee permanent contracts, Human Resource managers might consider occupational self-efficacy as a resource when planning interventions.     

Job attitudes of workers with two jobs

This article examines the job attitudes of people who hold more than one job. Satisfaction, stress, and organizational (continuance and affective) commitment were assessed for both primary and secondary jobs for 83 full-time workers who held two jobs concurrently. Consistency between job constructs across jobs was negligible, except for continuance organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Similarity between jobs was a significant moderator of convergence (though not consistency), whereas affective disposition did not appear to affect consistency or convergence. Holders of multiple jobs had higher satisfaction, higher stress, and higher affective organizational commitment with their primary jobs compared to their secondary jobs. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that job constructs associated with the primary job were useful for explaining life outcomes, even after controlling for affective disposition. Job constructs associated with secondary jobs, however, were not useful in explaining life outcomes. Limitations of the current study as well as suggestions for future research are given.     

Quel engagement organisationnel pour les salariés précaires ? Les leçons d’une étude empirique auprès de travailleurs intérimaires

The aim of this article is to focus on contingent workers’ organizational commitment. A review of literature on contingent workers’ attitudes leads to think that this type of work arrangement is associated with a high level of job insecurity, which is not favourable to organizational commitment. However, empirical studies present very contrasting results. This absence of consensus leads us to propose a research model, which puts the emphasis on the way the temporary workers interpret their job arrangement. The model was tested on 208 temporary help service workers. The results highlight the mediating role of perceived job insecurity on organizational commitment, as well as importance of perceived organizational support (POS).     

Consequences of job insecurity and the moderator role of occupational group

In recent decades, transformations in organizations and the labour market have produced an increase in employee job insecurity. In response to this situation, workers present different negative reactions. However, the intensity of these reactions varies across studies that have investigated the outcomes of job insecurity. One possible explanation for this inconsistency may lie in the influence of other factors, such as the occupational group (Sverke et al., 2002). The aim of this study is to provide additional evidence about the relationship between job insecurity and its outcomes (i.e., life satisfaction, job satisfaction, perceived performance and organizational commitment), and examine the moderator role of occupational group in this relationship. The sample was composed of 321 employees from different Spanish organizations. The results showed that job insecurity was directly and negatively related to life satisfaction, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and they suggest that occupational group moderated relations between job insecurity and three studied outcomes. In the case of life satisfaction and perceived performance, this relationship was stronger among blue collar workers. The relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction was stronger in white collar workers. The implications and limitations of this study are discussed.     

Job Insecurity and Psychological Well-being: Review of the Literature and Exploration of Some Unresolved Issues

Research on the psychological consequences of job insecurity is reviewed, showing that job insecurity reduces psychological well-being and job satisfaction, and increases psychosomatic complaints and physical strains. Next, three additional research questions are addressed, since these questions did not receive much attention in previous research. First, does the impact of job insecurity on workers differ according to their professional position, gender, and age? Second, how important is job insecurity compared to other stressors on the workfloor? Third, how important is job insecurity compared to the impact of unemployment? To analyse these issues, data were used from a Belgian plant, part of a European multinational company in the metalworking industry (N = 336). The results of this exploratory study showed that job insecurity was associated with lower well-being (score on the GHQ-12), after controlling for background variables, such as gender and age. A significant interaction with gender occurred, indicating that gender moderated the association between job insecurity and well-being. Job insecurity was not related to psychological well-being among women. Among men, a significant increase in distress was noted among those who felt insecure, but not among the secure. Interaction terms for occupational position and age were not statistically significant. Job insecurity turned out to be one of the most distressful aspects of the work situation. The GHQ-scores of the insecure respondents were not different from those of a representative sample of short-term unemployed, suggesting both experiences to be equally harmful. The consequences of these findings for future research are discussed.     

How Do Job Insecurity and Organizational Justice Relate to Depressive Symptoms and Sleep Difficulties: A Multilevel Study on Immediate and Prolonged Effects in Swedish Workers

Drawing on stress and justice literature, we argue that perceptions of job insecurity induce feelings of low procedural justice, which has immediate and prolonged negative effects on health (depressive symptoms, sleep difficulties). Moreover, we explore whether the strength of the job insecurity–justice relationship differs between individuals as a function of their average level of job insecurity over time. Finally, we explore whether the procedural justice–health relationship differs between individuals as a function of variability in justice perceptions over time. We analyzed Swedish panel data from permanent workers over four consecutive waves (with a two-year time lag between waves) using multilevel analysis, separating within- and between-person variance. Results showed that job insecurity associated negatively with procedural justice at the same time point for all waves. Prolonged effects were less stable. We found immediate (but not prolonged) indirect effects of job insecurity on health outcomes via procedural justice. Average levels in job insecurity over time moderated the within-person job insecurity–justice relationship. However, variability in procedural justice over time did not moderate the within-person justice–health relationship. In conclusion, disentangling within- and between-person variability of job insecurity and justice perceptions contributes to the understanding of health effects.     

The Moderating Effect of Self-efficacy on Job Insecurity and Organisational Commitment Among Nigerian Public Servants

The study examined the moderating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between perceived job insecurity and organisational commitment of survivors of retrenchment among Nigerian public workers. Using a cross-sectional survey, data was collected from 186 survivors. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that organisational commitment was inversely related to job insecurity and positively related to the interaction factor for self-efficacy and job insecurity. However, the relationship between job insecurity and organisational commitment was moderated by self-efficacy such that as perceived job insecurity increased, survivors with moderate to high levels of self-efficacy showed greater levels of organisational commitment than those with low self-efficacy. The findings of this study suggest that as perceived job insecurity increased survivors' organisational commitment decreased. The theoretical and practical implications of the present findings and suggestions for enhancing the self-efficacy of survivors were discussed.     

Job satisfaction and women's spheres of work

Job satisfaction for women workers is traditionally researched from the job-gender model in which sex roles generate the research framework. Women employed in the labor market are viewed as responding primarily to the confines of sex roles, as opposed to the structural rewards and constraints of the labor market itself. We reexamined earlier studies that found no effect of the labor market on job satisfaction for women. Reanalysis of the 1972–1973 Quality of Employment national survey revealed significantly different levels of job satisfaction, which are in part structured by the characteristics of the labor market sectors in which women and men work. Women working in labor market sectors that are predominantly male or have a balanced proportion of male and female workers jobs have high job satisfaction. This job satisfaction is predicted almost exclusively by their perceptions of fewer income problems, flexibility of hours, and use of job skills. Factors related to maternity benefits and leaves are related only marginally to job satisfaction for women workers in either labor market sector. Women in predominantly female sectors of the labor market have similarly high job satisfaction scores, but these are related to a wider cluster of factors, including fewer perceived income problems, skills, and challenge factors, as well as the socioemotional rewards of their work. This pattern is most similar to males who work in predominantly male sectors. In contrast, males who work in predominantly female or gender-proportionate jobs have significantly lower job satisfaction scores, even after controling for income issues and other benefits. Labor market sectors and the rewards available within them are important structural dimensions of job satisfaction for women and men employees.     

A field study of demographic characteristics and job attribute preferences of new part-time employees

This paper reports on a study of the demographic characteristics and job attribute preferences of 336 newly hired part-time employees in retail jobs. The results of the research challenge many of the traditional assumptions about the job preferences of part-time workers.     

工作不安全感的研究现状与展望

工作不安全感反映了一种雇员对工作或工作重要特性受到威胁时的感知和担忧。从上世纪80年代以来,它已逐步成为西方组织行为及职业心理健康研究领域中的一个重要构念。文章从5种视角厘清工作不安全感内涵及研究中存在的混淆之处,对其测量工具、研究取向进行介绍,并对有关其前因、后果和调节变量的实证研究成果进行系统性的总结,在此基础上指出未来研究的方向：（1）亟待开发统一的测量工具;（2）在区分组织情境的条件下开展更细化的研究;（3）对前因及后果的细致探索;（4）加强对调节变量的研究;（5）纵向研究的需要;（6）跨文化比较研究。     

工作不安全感与幸福感、绩效的关系：自我效能感的作用

旨在探讨工作不安全感对员工工作幸福感和工作绩效(上级评定)的影响,以及一般自我效能感在其中的作用机制。研究采用问卷调查的方法,共收集到513个有效样本。数据分析采用层级回归分析的方法。研究结果发现：⑴工作不安全感对员工工作幸福感和工作绩效都有显著的消极影响;⑵一般自我效能感对工作不安全感与身体健康、心理健康之间关系具有显著的调节作用,但对工作满意度的调节作用不显著;⑶一般自我效能感对不安全感—工作绩效之间关系具有显著的调节作用。这就表明,在当今处于转型期的中国社会里,工作不安全感是影响员工工作幸福感和工作绩效的一个重要压力源,而一般自我效能感可以发挥有效的调节作用     

Effects of Work Group Size and Task Size on Observers' Job Characteristics Ratings

The effects of number of workers (work-group size) and number of tasks (task size) on perceptions of job enrichment were investigated using a simulated assembly-line job. Forty subjects observed workers performing a job in four combinations of work-group size and task size, rating the respective jobs on dimensions taken from the Job Characteristics Model (Hackman & Oldham, 1975). The results indicated that jobs performed by smaller work groups were perceived as significantly more enriched on four of the five dimensions and had greater potential for worker motivation. Significant main effects were also found for task size on three of the five dimensions such that jobs with larger tasks were seen as more enriched and as having greater motivating potential for the workers. A significant interaction was noted for only one job dimension. An ecological perspective of the data (manning theory) supported these results and suggests theoretically useful interpretations of the data.     

Job Satisfaction and Domains of Job Satisfaction for Older Workers with Disabilities in Europe

This paper analyzes the levels of job satisfaction reported by older workers (aged 50–64) with and without disability by using an aggregating approach in which job satisfaction is seen as a combination of various job satisfaction domains (physical effort, time pressure, level of freedom, capability to develop new skills, support in the workplace, recognition of the work, salary, promotion prospect and job security). Using the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, we estimate a two-layer model based on the interrelation between the different domains of job satisfaction and wherein the individual’s overall job satisfaction depends on each of these domains. The results show that the levels of satisfaction with the recognition of the work, support in difficult situations and physical effort have a significant effect on the overall job satisfaction reported by limited disabled workers. For this group, the trade-offs between the domains recognition with work and support and satisfaction with salary are especially high. These findings can help organizations, managers and policy makers to design or modify current jobs to make them more attractive in terms of satisfaction for limited disabled older workers.