A Field Study of Job Insecurity during a Financial Crisis

A major trend in the workplace is a recognition of the increasingly temporary nature of the work relationship. Even universities, which have traditionally offered long-termjob security in the form of academic tenure, are not immune from that trend. Some universities no longer offer tenure, and finan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Group & organization management Vol. 26; no. 4; pp. 463 - 483
Main Authors: Adkins, Cheryl L., Werbel, James D., Farh, Jiing-Lih
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.12.2001
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects:
Academic tenure
Ambiguity
Antecedents
Budgets
Colleges & universities
Cost control
Economic crisis
Effects
Employee turnover
Employees
Employment contracts
Employment security
Fieldwork
Hypotheses
Job insecurity
Job satisfaction
Job security
Layoffs
Organizational behavior
Organizational commitment
Perceptions
Private schools
Satisfaction
Security
Studies
Tenure
Tolerance
Union membership
Work
Workplaces
United States > US
ISSN:1059-6011, 1552-3993
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:A major trend in the workplace is a recognition of the increasingly temporary nature of the work relationship. Even universities, which have traditionally offered long-termjob security in the form of academic tenure, are not immune from that trend. Some universities no longer offer tenure, and financial pressures sometimes threaten the job security of tenured faculty. The increased focus on the temporary nature of the work relationship may lead to a sense of job insecurity among employees. The present study examined antecedents and outcomes of job insecurity following significant budget cuts at a major university. Perceptions of receiving sufficient and accurate information from organizational sources, tenure status, and tolerance for ambiguity predicted job insecurity. Job insecurity, in turn, predicted job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and withdrawal behaviors. Turnover for a 2-year period following the budget cuts was predicted by survey variables.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
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ISSN:1059-6011
1552-3993
DOI:10.1177/1059601101264004