Combined exposure of emotional labor and job insecurity on depressive symptoms among female call-center workers: A cross-sectional study

Call-center workers work under unfavorable psychosocial working conditions, including, emotional labor and job insecurity, which might be linked to depressive symptoms.The purpose of this study was to explore the link between emotional labor and depressive symptoms and to investigate the influence of combined exposure to emotional labor and job insecurity on depressive symptoms.A health survey was conducted among female call-center workers in Geumcheon-gu (a district in Seoul), South Korea, in November 2012. The short form of the Korean occupational stress scale was used to measure occupational stressors. A questionnaire with 8 items was employed to assess emotional labor. Depressive symptoms were estimated using the Korean Version of the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The association of emotional labor and occupational stressors with depressive symptoms was assessed using multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression.Overall, 699 female call-center workers were enrolled into this study. The odds ratios of experiencing depressive symptoms in workers exposed to emotional labor and job insecurity were 5.45 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.38-8.80) and 2.37 (95% CI: 0.86-6.50), respectively. When workers were simultaneously exposed to excessive emotional labor and high job insecurity levels, the odds ratio of experiencing depressive symptoms was 10.13 (95% CI: 3.51-29.23). The Relative Excess Risk due to the Interaction (RERI) of job insecurity and emotional labor was 3.30 (95% CI: -5.50 to 12.11); however, this was not statistically significant (P = .46).Although a causal relationship could not be established due to the cross-sectional study design, the combined effect of emotional labor and job insecurity might have a serious influence on behavioral health among call-center female workers.

Job Insecurity and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies From a Gender Perspective

Job insecurity is a growing phenomenon, typical of an employment context characterised by high rates of temporary work and unemployment. Previous research has shown a direct relationship between job insecurity and mental health impairment. The present analysis goes into this relationship in depth, studying the moderating role of coping strategies and predicting that men and women implement different types of strategies. A sample of 1.008 workers is analysed, 588 women and 420 men. The Tobin CSI scale was used to analyse the coping strategies, in addition to JIS-8 to assess job insecurity, the MOS Perceived Social Support Survey and the GHQ-28 test to evaluate mental health. Then, a hierarchical linear regression was designed to study the moderating role of 8 coping strategies of job insecurity and 4 mental health subscales in men and women, separately. Results illustrate that coping strategies play a moderating role in the relationship between job insecurity and mental health. However, the aggravating role of disengagement coping strategies is more relevant than the buffering role of engagement strategies. On the other hand, women implement a greater number of coping strategies, with more positive results for mental health. Also, in the relationship between job insecurity and mental health the most important strategies are the ones related to social interaction inside and outside an organisation, and these are the main ones used by women. It therefore follows that strengthening rich social relationships inside and outside the working environment is a guarantee of well-being.

Quantitative Job Insecurity and Well-Being: Testing the Mediating Role of Hindrance and Challenge Appraisals

The aim of this study is to determine the extent to which cognitive appraisals of job insecurity may mediate the link between job insecurity and well-being among employees. According to cognitive appraisal theory, the two cognitive appraisals of job insecurity, hindrance vs. challenge appraisals, were integrated into a conceptual model and examined as the mediators of job insecurity-wellbeing association. Well-being related outcomes were job satisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Hypotheses were tested using a total sample of 306 hospital staff¹. Respondents from diverse departments of this hospital were recruited and completed scales on quantitative job insecurity, hindrance vs. challenge appraisals of job insecurity, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion. Results indicated that hindrance appraisals of job insecurity mediated the association between job insecurity and emotional exhaustion. Challenge appraisals did not mediate the job insecurity-well-being association. In all, only one out of four mediation paths was found significant. As a result, employees hindered by job insecurity are more likely to be emotionally exhausted.

Job Insecurity and Mental Health: The Moderating Role of Coping Strategies From a Gender Perspective

Job insecurity is a growing phenomenon, typical of an employment context characterised by high rates of temporary work and unemployment. Previous research has shown a direct relationship between job insecurity and mental health impairment. The present analysis goes into this relationship in depth, studying the moderating role of coping strategies and predicting that men and women implement different types of strategies. A sample of 1.008 workers is analysed, 588 women and 420 men. The Tobin CSI scale was used to analyse the coping strategies, in addition to JIS-8 to assess job insecurity, the MOS Perceived Social Support Survey and the GHQ-28 test to evaluate mental health. Then, a hierarchical linear regression was designed to study the moderating role of 8 coping strategies of job insecurity and 4 mental health subscales in men and women, separately. Results illustrate that coping strategies play a moderating role in the relationship between job insecurity and mental health. However, the aggravating role of disengagement coping strategies is more relevant than the buffering role of engagement strategies. On the other hand, women implement a greater number of coping strategies, with more positive results for mental health. Also, in the relationship between job insecurity and mental health the most important strategies are the ones related to social interaction inside and outside an organisation, and these are the main ones used by women. It therefore follows that strengthening rich social relationships inside and outside the working environment is a guarantee of well-being.

Effects of abusive supervision on employees' innovative behavior: The role of job insecurity and locus of control

Drawing on the Conservation of Resources Theory by Hobfoll, we examined the relationships between abusive supervision, job insecurity, locus of control, and employees' innovative behavior. Using self-reported data collected from employees among four enterprises in China (N = 641), we found that abusive supervision was positively correlated with job insecurity. In contrast, both job insecurity and abusive supervision were negatively correlated with employees' innovative behavior, with the impact of abusive supervision on innovative behavior being mediated by its effect on job insecurity. Having an external locus of control that served as a buffering factor for employees, mitigating the relationship between abusive supervision and job insecurity. These findings complement the existing research on the impacts of abusive leadership, providing practical information for enterprises on how to enhance levels of innovation and vitality among employees.

Is More Always Merrier? Intersectionality as an Antecedent of Job Insecurity

As modern workplace environments are becoming increasingly diverse, the experiences of disenfranchised employees have become a topic of great interest to scholars and business professionals alike. While the experiences of individuals with singular stigmatized identities have been well-established, a dearth of research has assessed how intersectionality, i.e., holding multiple stigmatized identities, combine and intertwine to shape workplace experiences. We contribute to a growing literature on intersectionality by assessing the extent to which employees identifying with multiple stigmatized identities may constitute a risk factor for the experience of job insecurity, a prevalent and potent economic stressor. Additionally, we propose that job insecurity will partially mediate the relationship between intersectionality and a variety of adverse workplace outcomes associated with increased job insecurity perceptions. In order to test these hypotheses, we collected survey data from 449 employed individuals within the United States over two timepoints. Results of the tests of our direct and indirect hypotheses revealed that individuals with more stigmatized identities reported greater perceptions of job insecurity, and intersectionality indirectly affected workplace outcomes via this heightened job insecurity. Our results highlight a new antecedent of job insecurity for consideration and is meant to motivate others to approach diversity-related research questions with multiple identities in mind, in an effort to encapsulate the full spectrum of one’s experience based on their identity makeup.

A Crossover Study From a Gender Perspective: The Relationship Between Job Insecurity, Job Satisfaction, and Partners' Family Life Satisfaction

Background: In the last years, many changes have involved the labor context: new ways of working, more flexibility and uncertainty, new and more insecure job contracts. In this framework, perceived job insecurity, worker's perception about potential involuntary job loss, has received renewed interest, also for those workers with a permanent contract in Italy. Consequences of job insecurity on work-related outcomes such as job satisfaction have been demonstrated; nevertheless, its possible effects outside the workplace seem to be underestimated so far. Moreover, literature highlighted the importance to consider gender as a possible moderator in the relationship between one partner's stressors and the other partner's strain. Aim: According to spillover and crossover theories, this study aim was to investigate the relationship between job insecurity and family life satisfaction of both partners, through the mediation of job satisfaction. The model has been simultaneously tested in two groups, women and men, in a sample of permanent workers. Method: The research involved a convenience sample of 344 employees with permanent contract (53% female) from different occupational sectors. Participants (focal persons) and their partners filled out a self-report questionnaire. Results: The multi-group SEM indicated a full mediation of job satisfaction in the relationship between job insecurity on the one side, and both individual's and his/her partner's family life satisfaction on the other side in both groups. Conclusion: These study findings highlighted how job insecurity may be indirectly and negatively related to both members' family life satisfaction, through the mediation of job satisfaction. As regards gender, similar spillover and crossover patterns emerged, contributing to that literature that highlights a greater similarity in the models of interaction between work and family among women and men. Interventions should be aimed at reducing perception of job insecurity among workers, including those with permanent contract. Employers should improve communication and flow of information about future organizational changes. Moreover, interventions useful to monitor and reinforce employees' job satisfaction should be planned. Finally, career practitioners may provide counseling and coaching projects aimed at strengthening employees' employability and their ability to deal with changes.

What Happened to the Employed During the Great Recession? A U.S. Population Study of Net Change in Employee Insecurity, Health, and Organizational Commitment

This study explored the effects of the Great Recession on U.S. workers who remain employed. The first goal was to assess net population change in job and employment insecurity, physical and mental health, and affective organizational commitment. The second goal was to explore job and employment insecurity as parallel mediators of the associations between the Great Recession and the health and affective organizational commitment outcomes. Data came from two national surveys of U.S. workers that occurred before the recession (N = 2,354) and during the recession (N = 2,322). The results show that the recession was associated with a net increase in both job and employment insecurity, though the increase in employment insecurity was 3.4 times larger than the increase in job insecurity. The recession was associated with a net decrease in physical and mental health and affective organizational commitment. Finally, job and employment insecurity partially mediated the association of the recession with physical health and fully mediated its association with mental health. Job insecurity, but not employment insecurity, partially mediated the association of the recession with affective organizational commitment. The results underscore the importance of research that furthers our understanding of how macroeconomic events affect those who remain employed, and that takes a broad view of employee insecurity regarding continuity of employment.

Job insecurity and depression among automobile sales workers: A longitudinal study in South Korea

BACKGROUND

Job insecurity, the subjective perception of fear due to uncertainty about job continuity, could have long-term health effects. We aimed to examine the effect of job insecurity on depression among automobile sales workers in South Korea.

METHODS

We analyzed data collected in 2007 and 2014 from a longitudinal cohort of 560 sales workers from an automobile company in South Korea. Change in job insecurity was classified into four groups: secure to secure; insecure to secure; secure to insecure; and insecure to insecure.

RESULTS

After adjusting for potential confounders, workers in the insecure to insecure group had a significantly higher likelihood of depression in 2014 than workers in the secure to secure group (OR: 2.74; 95%CI: 1.41, 5.31).

CONCLUSIONS

We found that chronic job insecurity may be a risk factor for developing depression among Korean automobile sales workers. This is the first longitudinal study examining the association between job insecurity and depression in South Korea.

Job Insecurity and Innovative Work Behaviour: A Psychological Contract Perspective

Innovation is considered to be of crucial importance for organisational survival and growth, and in this respect employees play a leading role, as they are the ones who develop innovative ideas. At the same time, the struggle for organisational survival and growth gives rise to perceptions of job insecurity. To date, few studies have explored how employees' innovative work behaviour (IWB) is influenced by the perceived threat of job loss (i.e. job insecurity). As both job insecurity and IWB are increasingly salient in light of organisational change and competition, the present study examines the relationship between job insecurity and IWB, as well as the role of psychological contract breach in explaining this relationship. We hypothesized a negative relation between job insecurity and innovative work behaviour, with psychological contract breach as a mediator in this relationship. Participants were 190 employees from an industrial organisation that had faced restructuring and downsizing for several years. Contrary to our predictions, no direct association was found between job insecurity and the two sub-dimensions of innovative work behaviour (i.e., idea generation and idea implementation). Indirect relationships, however, were found between job insecurity and the two types of IWB through psychological contract breach. Surprisingly, psychological contract breach was positively related to idea generation and idea implementation. These findings shed new light on the relationship between job insecurity and IWB.

Interactional justice at work is related to sickness absence: a study using repeated measures in the Swedish working population

Background

Research has shown that perceived unfairness contributes to higher rates of sickness absence. While shorter, but more frequent periods of sickness absence might be a possibility for the individual to get relief from high strain, long-term sickness absence might be a sign of more serious health problems. The Uncertainty Management Model suggests that justice is particularly important in times of uncertainty, e.g. perceived job insecurity. The present study investigated the association between interpersonal and informational justice at work with long and frequent sickness absence respectively, under conditions of job insecurity.

Methods

Data were derived from the 2010, 2012, and 2014 biennial waves of the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health (SLOSH). The final analytic sample consisted of 19,493 individuals. We applied repeated measures regression analyses through generalized estimating equations (GEE), a method for longitudinal data that simultaneously analyses variables at different time points. We calculated risk of long and frequent sickness absence, respectively in relation to interpersonal and informational justice taking perceptions of job insecurity into account.

Results

We found informational and interpersonal justice to be associated with risk of long and frequent sickness absence independently of job insecurity and demographic variables. Results from autoregressive GEE provided some support for a causal relationship between justice perceptions and sickness absence. Contrary to expectations, we found no interaction between justice and job insecurity.

Conclusions

Our results underline the need for fair and just treatment of employees irrespective of perceived job insecurity in order to keep the workforce healthy and to minimize lost work days due to sickness absence.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-017-4899-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Association of Emotional Labor and Occupational Stressors with Depressive Symptoms among Women Sales Workers at a Clothing Shopping Mall in the Republic of Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study

In the distribution service industry, sales people often experience multiple occupational stressors such as excessive emotional labor, workplace mistreatment, and job insecurity. The present study aimed to explore the associations of these stressors with depressive symptoms among women sales workers at a clothing shopping mall in Korea. A cross sectional study was conducted on 583 women who consist of clothing sales workers and manual workers using a structured questionnaire to assess demographic factors, occupational stressors, and depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analyses were performed to explore the association of these stressors with depressive symptoms. Scores for job stress subscales such as job demand, job control, and job insecurity were higher among sales workers than among manual workers (p < 0.01). The multiple regression analysis revealed the association between occupation and depressive symptoms after controlling for age, educational level, cohabiting status, and occupational stressors (sβ = 0.08, p = 0.04). A significant interaction effect between occupation and social support was also observed in this model (sβ = −0.09, p = 0.02). The multiple regression analysis stratified by occupation showed that job demand, job insecurity, and workplace mistreatment were significantly associated with depressive symptoms in both occupations (p < 0.05), although the strength of statistical associations were slightly different. We found negative associations of social support (sβ = −0.22, p < 0.01) and emotional effort (sβ = −0.17, p < 0.01) with depressive symptoms in another multiple regression model for sales workers. Emotional dissonance (sβ = 0.23, p < 0.01) showed positive association with depressive symptoms in this model. The result of this study indicated that reducing occupational stressors would be effective for women sales workers to prevent depressive symptoms. In particular, promoting social support could be the most effective way to promote women sales workers’ mental health.

Job insecurity, subjective well-being and the moderating role of locomotion

OBJECTIVES

This paper addresses the moderating role of locomotion - a functional and fundamental dimension of self-regulation - in the relationship between job insecurity and subjective well-being.

METHODS

A group of 205 adult Italian workers took part in the research by filling out an anonymous questionnaire that included measures of job insecurity, locomotion, satisfaction with life, positive and negative affect.

RESULTS

Results showed that job insecurity was positively related to negative affect and negatively related to life satisfaction and positive affect.

CONCLUSIONS

Locomotion was positively related to life satisfaction and positive affect and acted as a moderator only in the case of the link between job insecurity and negative affect. This means that when perceived insecurity is high, negative affect is lower for respondents scoring high versus low on locomotion. Results and suggestions for future studies are presented and discussed.

Effects of Lifetime Unemployment Experience and Job Insecurity on Two-Year Risk of Physician-Diagnosed Incident Depression in the German Working Population

Unemployment and job insecurity have been reported to be associated with a higher risk of depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the separate and combined effects of lifetime unemployment experience and job insecurity on the incidence of depression in an unselected working population in Germany. Data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) study were used, as was a final sample of those currently employed, with complete data at baseline (2009) and follow-up (2011) restricted to those free of depression in 2009 (n = 7073). Poisson regression analysis was applied to test the prospective associations between unemployment, job insecurity, and a two-year incident of depression. Results showed that the experience of unemployment and perceived job insecurity were significantly associated with a higher risk of depression during the two-year follow-up (risk ratios 1.64; 95% confidence intervals (1.16, 2.31) and risk ratios 1.48; 95% confidence intervals (1.13, 1.92), respectively). Notably, the strongest risk was observed among participants with insecure jobs and past long-term unemployment (risk ratios 2.15; 95% confidence intervals (1.32; 3.52)). In conclusion, even during employment, the experience of lifetime unemployment led to a higher risk of depression. The combination of previous unemployment experience and anticipated job insecurity increased the risk of developing depression. Results support health promotion with special emphasis on unemployment and precarious working conditions.

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.

Occupational Psychosocial Hazards Among the Emerging US Green Collar Workforce

OBJECTIVE

To compare occupational psychosocial hazards in green collar versus non-green collar workers.

METHODS

Standard Occupational Classification codes were used to link the 2010 National Health Interview Survey to the 2010 Occupational Information Network Database. Multivariable logistic regressions were used to predict job insecurity, work life imbalance, and workplace harassment in green versus non-green collar workers.

RESULTS

Most participants were white, non-Hispanic, 25 to 64 years of age, and obtained greater than a high school education. The majority of workers reported no job insecurity, work life imbalance, or workplace harassment. Relative to non-green collar workers (n = 12,217), green collar workers (n = 2,588) were more likely to report job insecurity (Odds ratio [OR] = 1.13; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02 to 1.26) and work life imbalance (1.19; 1.05 to 1.35), but less likely to experience workplace harassment (0.77; 0.62 to 0.95).

CONCLUSIONS

Continuous surveillance of occupational psychosocial hazards is recommended in this rapidly emerging workforce.

Job insecurity, financial difficulties and mental health in Europe

BACKGROUND

The recession has increased job insecurity in the European Union (EU) which may result in higher levels of psychological distress, burnout and anxiety.

AIMS

To investigate the association of job insecurity and financial difficulties with mental health in 27 member states of the EU and to explore the moderating effect of having financial difficulties on the relationship between job insecurity and mental health.

METHODS

The sample consisted of employed people from 27 European countries where the Eurobarometer survey (73.2 wave, 2010) was administered by the European Commission. Mental well-being and psychological distress were measured using the Vitality and Mental Health Index (MHI-5) subscales from the Short-Form 36-item health survey (SF-36v2). Linear regression including an interaction term was used to test the underlying factors in this study.

RESULTS

Among the 12594 respondents, experiencing job insecurity was associated with lower Vitality [β = -3.82, 95% confidence interval (CI) -5.29 to -2.36] and MHI-5 (β = -3.48, 95% CI -4.91 to -2.04). Similarly, having financial difficulties was significantly correlated with lower Vitality (β = -8.65, 95% CI -12.07 to -5.24) and MHI-5 (β = -11.51, 95% CI -15.08 to -7.94). However, having financial difficulties did not moderate the relationship between job insecurity and both mental health scales.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the negative effect of job insecurity and financial difficulties on mental health in the EU. Support to employees facing job security issues should be a priority regardless of the financial circumstances.

The Effects of Job Insecurity on Health Care Utilization: Findings from a Panel of U.S. Workers

OBJECTIVE

To examine the impacts of job insecurity during the recession of 2007-2009 on health care utilization among a panel of U.S. employees.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Linked administrative and claims datasets on a panel of continuously employed, continuously insured individuals at a large multisite manufacturing firm that experienced widespread layoffs (N = 9,486).

STUDY DESIGN

We employed segmented regressions to examine temporal discontinuities in utilization during 2006-2012. To assess the effects of job insecurity, we compared individuals at high- and low-layoff plants. Because the dataset includes multiple observations for each individual, we included individual-level fixed effects.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

We found discontinuous increases in outpatient (3.5 visits/month/10,000 individuals, p = .002) and emergency (0.4 visits/month/10,000 individuals, p = .05) utilization in the panel of all employees. Compared with individuals at low-layoff plants, individuals at high-layoff plants decreased outpatient utilization (-4.0 visits/month/10,000 individuals, p = .008), suggesting foregone preventive care, with a marginally significant increase in emergency utilization (0.4 visits/month/10,000 individuals, p = .08).

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest changes in health care utilization and potentially adverse impacts on employee health in response to job insecurity during the latest recession. This study contributes to our understanding of the impacts of economic crises on the health of the U.S. working population.

Factors contributing to the perpetration of workplace incivility: the importance of organizational aspects and experiencing incivility from others

In recent years a growing amount of research has been conducted in the area of workplace incivility. Whereas many studies have focused on the victims and the consequences of incivility, little attention has been paid to the perpetrators and antecedents of workplace incivility. This study aims to identify possible antecedents of workplace incivility, by investigating organizational aspects as well as the possibility that being the target of incivility from co-workers and supervisors could induce incivility. A total of 512 employees (378 women and 133 men) in the school sector in a Swedish municipality completed an online questionnaire. Overall, the results of structural equation modelling analyses showed that organizational variables were related to the perpetration of incivility. A direct relationship was found between being uncivil and organizational change, job insecurity, low social support from co-workers and high job demands. However, the strongest relationship was found between experienced incivility from co-workers and instigated incivility. This could be reflecting a climate or culture of incivility in the organization, and carry implications for future practice in interventions against workplace incivility. The results indicate the importance of focusing on the perspective of the instigator to gain knowledge about the process of workplace incivility.

Does job insecurity deteriorate health?

This paper estimates the causal effect of perceived job insecurity - that is, the fear of involuntary job loss - on health in a sample of men from 22 European countries. We rely on an original instrumental variable approach on the basis of the idea that workers perceive greater job security in countries where employment is strongly protected by the law and more so if employed in industries where employment protection legislation is more binding; that is, in induastries with a higher natural rate of dismissals. Using cross-country data from the 2010 European Working Conditions Survey, we show that, when the potential endogeneity of job insecurity is not accounted for, the latter appears to deteriorate almost all health outcomes. When tackling the endogeneity issue by estimating an instrumental variable model and dealing with potential weak-instrument issues, the health-damaging effect of job insecurity is confirmed for a limited subgroup of health outcomes; namely, suffering from headaches or eyestrain and skin problems. As for other health variables, the impact of job insecurity appears to be insignificant at conventional levels.

[From bearing arms to nursing care]

Having benefited from professional redeployment that has fully met his expectations, a former soldier who has become a nurse shares with us his work in a medical/social organization with residents of areas facing job insecurity.

Employment status, working conditions and depressive symptoms among German employees born in 1959 and 1965

PURPOSE

We investigated whether (1) current employment status (regular full-time, regular part-time and marginal employment) is associated with depressive symptoms and (2) whether these associations are mediated by current working conditions and previous employment history.

METHODS

Two cohorts of German employees aged 46 and 52 years were selected from administrative data of the German Federal Employment Agency and answered questions about depressive symptoms (we use an applied version of BDI-V) and their current working conditions. In addition, the participants gave written consent to link register data regarding their employment histories (n = 4,207). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted.

RESULTS

Men experienced elevated depressive symptoms when working regular part-time; women experienced such symptoms when engaged in marginal employment. These associations decreased when we adjusted for job insecurity and rose slightly when we adjusted for leadership quality. Men and women who reported a low level of influence at work showed a higher risk of depressive symptoms. For women, the association between current employment position and depressive symptoms could be partly explained by low levels of influence at work. For men, the association between depressive symptoms and current regular part-time employment decreased when we adjusted for previous part-time employment. Conversely, for women, the association with depressive symptoms increased in current regular part-time and marginal employment when we adjusted for employment history.

CONCLUSIONS

In both genders, the observed associations between depressive symptoms and current employment status were mediated by both current psychosocial conditions and employment history. Employees not having a regular full-time job differed from full-time employees with respect to both their current working conditions and their employment history.

The Impact of Job Insecurity on Counterproductive Work Behaviors: The Moderating Role of Honesty-Humility Personality Trait

The detrimental effects of job insecurity on individual and organizational well-being are well documented in recent literature. Job insecurity as a stressor is generally associated with a higher presence of negative attitudes toward the organization. In this article, the moderating role of Honesty-Humility personality trait was investigated. It was assumed that Honesty-Humility would function as a psychological moderator of the job insecurity impact on counterproductive work behaviors. Participants were 203 workers who were administered a self-reported questionnaire. Results confirmed that job insecurity was positively related to counterproductive work behaviors whereas Honesty-Humility was negatively associated to them. More importantly, Honesty-Humility moderated this relationship, even after controlling for gender, age, type of contract, and the other HEXACO personality traits. For individuals with low Honesty-Humility, job insecurity was positively related to counterproductive work behaviors, whereas for individuals with high Honesty-Humility, job insecurity turned out to be unrelated to counterproductive work behaviors.

Job insecurity and work-family conflict in teachers in Sweden: Examining their relations with longitudinal cross-lagged modeling

Job insecurity and work-family conflict are increasingly prevalent in contemporary working life and numerous studies have documented their antecedents and negative consequences. The present study used longitudinal questionnaire data collected among teachers in Sweden to test the direction of the relation between job insecurity and work-family conflict using cross-lagged modeling. Multiple-group comparisons were conducted to account for the skewed gender composition in the teachers' group. After controlling for baseline levels of job insecurity, work-family conflict, and four potential confounders (age, children under 12 living at home, university education, and relationship status), we found that the reciprocal relationship between job insecurity and work-family conflict over a 1-year time period fitted the data best for the men. For women, however, only the auto regression coefficients were significant. The results provide some empirical support for gender differences in the relation between job insecurity and work-family conflict. Moreover, this study partially supports theoretical assumptions suggesting that job insecurity and work-family conflict influence each other.

Work organization, job insecurity, and occupational health disparities

BACKGROUND

Changes in employment conditions in the global economy over the past 30 years have led to increased job insecurity and other work organization hazards. These hazards may play a role in creating and sustaining occupational health disparities by socioeconomic position, gender, race, ethnicity, and immigration status.

METHODS

A conceptual model was developed to guide the review of 103 relevant articles or chapters on the role of work organization and occupational health disparities identified through a comprehensive search conducted by NIOSH. A second review was conducted of employment and workplace policies and programs designed to reduce the health and safety risks due to job insecurity and other work organization hazards.

RESULTS

There is consistent evidence that workers in lower socioeconomic or social class positions are exposed to greater job insecurity and other work organization hazards than workers in higher socioeconomic positions. Likewise, racial and ethnic minorities and immigrants are exposed to greater job insecurity. Limited research examining the effects of interventions targeting work organization hazards on disparities has been conducted; nonetheless, intervention strategies are available and evidence suggests they are effective.

CONCLUSIONS

Job insecurity and work organization hazards play a role in creating and sustaining occupational health disparities. Employment and workplace policies and programs have the potential to reduce these hazards, and to reduce disparities.