The effects of past and anticipated future downsizing on survivor well-being: an equity perspective

The Construct of Job Insecurity at Multiple Levels: Implications for Its Conceptualization and Theory Development

Over the years, job insecurity has accumulated important scholarly work. As a result, research has identified multiple constructs that involve employees' concerns about job loss. Most of these are individual-level constructs (e.g., subjective and objective job insecurity), but, recently, an incipient body of literature has adopted a multilevel perspective by understanding job insecurity as a collective phenomenon (e.g., job insecurity climate, strength climate, downsizing or temporary hiring strategies). Furthermore, these constructs at different levels are underpinned by shared theoretical frameworks, such as stress theory or psychological contract theory. However, all this literature fails to present an integrative framework that contains the functional relationship for mapping job insecurity constructs across levels. Accordingly, the present study aims to examine job insecurity from a multilevel perspective, specifically by conceptualizing job insecurity at the individual level-understood as subjective and objective job insecurity-and at the organizational level, understood as job instability in an organization, job insecurity climate, and climate strength. The methodology of multilevel construct validation proposed by Chen, Mathieu and Bliese (2005) was applied; thus, (1) job insecurity were defined at each relevant level of analysis; (2) its nature and structure was specified at higher levels of analysis; (3) psychometric properties were tested across and/or at different levels of analysis; (4) the extent to which job insecurity varies between levels of analysis was estimated; and (5) the function of job insecurity was tested across different levels of analysis. The results showed significant relationships among these, and were related to an organizational antecedent (e.g., organization nature) and organizational and individual outcomes (collective and individual job satisfaction) in two European samples: Austria and Spain. Accordingly, this study exposed the multilevel validity of job insecurity constructs through an integrative framework in order to advance in the area of job insecurity theory and practice. The contributions and implications to job insecurity research and other multilevel research are discussed.

Gereizt und grübelnd?

Zusammenfassung. Die Studie untersucht, welche Merkmale eines Veränderungsprozesses einen Einfluss auf die psychische Beanspruchung der Beschäftigten (kognitive und emotionale Irritation) ausüben und inwiefern diese Zusammenhänge durch Sozialkapitalfaktoren moderiert werden. Als Merkmale des Veränderungsprozesses werden Ausmaß und Nutzen der Veränderungen für die Arbeitseinheit, die Auswirkungen der Veränderungen auf den eigenen Arbeitsplatz sowie der Umfang der Beteiligung am Veränderungsprozess betrachtet. Befragt wurden Beschäftigte einer Organisation, die sich zum Befragungszeitpunkt in einem umfassenden, langfristigen Veränderungsprozess befunden hat (Vollerhebung, n = 219). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sich bestimmte Merkmale eines Veränderungsprozesses bedeutsam auf die psychische Beanspruchung der Beschäftigten auswirken. Die Moderatorenanalysen bestätigen, dass positiv empfundene Mitarbeiterführung (Führungskapital) und ein gutes Beziehungsklima (Netzwerkkapital) die Irritation bei denjenigen abpuffern können, bei denen der Veränderungsprozess besonders große Auswirkungen auf den eigenen Arbeitsplatz hat. Außerdem zeigt sich, dass positiv empfundene Organisationskultur sowie Mitarbeiterführung die Irritationen bei denjenigen abpuffern können, die den konkreten Veränderungsprozess als wenig nützlich empfinden.

Relationships Between Managerial and Organizational Practices, Psychological Health at Work, and Quality of Care in Pediatric Oncology

PURPOSE

Psychological health at work for care providers is an important issue, because they are directly involved in quality of patient care. Managerial and organizational determinants have been found to be indicators of psychological health at work. The main objective of this study was to explore the relationships between the psychological health at work of pediatric oncology care workers with managerial and organizational determinants and with quality of care.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed regression analysis between psychological health at work (quality of work life [QWL], job satisfaction, and so on), managerial determinants (transformational leadership, perceived autonomy support), organizational determinants (organizational support, organizational justice, and participatory approach), and perceived quality of care.

RESULTS

Participants were 510 health care professionals working in French pediatric oncology centers. No significant differences in the psychological health at work of the participants were found based on age, sex, length of employment, or professional discipline. In simple regression, significant associations were found between psychological health at work with all managerial and organizational determinants. In multiple regression, a significant link was found between QWL and perceived organizational support (β = .21; P < .001), organizational justice (β = .20, P < .001), and overall participatory approach (β = .10; P < .02). Job satisfaction was also related to perceived organizational support (β = .16; P < .01). Finally, perceived quality of care was linked to QWL (β = .15; P < .01) and job satisfaction (β = .30; P < .001).

CONCLUSION

These results emphasize the importance of the role of managers and the organization in psychological health at work of health care providers and also in the quality of patient care.

Upgrading at work: employee disposition and cynicism about organizational changes

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine potential predictors and moderating relationships involving one type of organizational cynicism – cynicism about organizational transformation (CAOC).

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 137 subjects participated in this study. The participants had been in their current positions at work for an average of 4.77 years and had been with their current organization an average of 7.28 years. CAOC was measured using the 12-item scale (α = 0.86) from Wanous et al.’s (2000) study. The response scale had five points ranging from “strongly disagree” to “strongly agree.”

Findings

CAOC and negative affectivity were positively correlated, thus supporting H1. H2 was not supported, i.e. subjective change was not related to CAOC, and objective change was actually correlated negatively with CAOC. H3 was not supported, i.e. individuals with a higher organizational commitment will not have a less positive relationship between CAOC and organizational transformation (subjective and objective) than individuals with lower organizational commitment. H4 was not supported, i.e. individuals who perceive a higher degree of petty tyranny will not have a stronger relationship between CAOC and organizational transformation (subjective and objective) than individuals who perceive a lower degree of petty tyranny. H5 was not supported, i.e. individuals who perceive a higher degree of perceived organizational support (POS) will not have a weaker relationship between CAOC and organizational transformation (subjective and objective) than individuals who perceive a lower degree of POS.

Originality/value

The intent of the present study is to examine potential causes of CAOC and potential moderators of the relationships between those antecedents and CAOC. In particular, two variables are proposed as antecedents (negative affectivity with past organizational transformations) and three as moderators (organizational commitment, petty tyranny by supervisors and POS).

Attributes of the Organizational Change and Its Influence on Attitudes Toward Organizational Change and Well-Being at Work: A Longitudinal Study

This study investigates the role of attributes of organizational change and attitudes toward change as antecedents of well-being at work and how these antecedents vary over the course of an organizational change. Drawing on cognitive theories (a) organization change planning, (b) perceived risk level, and (c) attitudes toward organizational change are examined as antecedents. Attitudes toward change have also been tested as mediators in the relationship between change attributes and well-being. Hypotheses are tested in a three-wave study of 505, 390, and 348 respondents in each wave, involving employees from a Brazilian public organization undergoing a strategic reorientation toward continuous improvement. Attitudes toward change had stable positive effects in each wave, conducted 12, 24, and 48 months after the change was initiated. This study corroborates the findings that uncertainty and risk contribute to the formation of negative cognitions and feelings throughout the process of organizational change but do not necessarily result in discomfort in relation to the work and the organization. The effects of both planning for the change and the perceived risk level were not moderated by time. The results of this study do not support the idea of gradual shifts and discontinuous information processing in employee’s cognitive models. On the contrary, it is possible to conclude that perceptions have been confirmed over time. Implications for managing employee reactions and well-being in different phases of change are discussed.

Attributes of the Organizational Change and Its Influence on Attitudes Toward Organizational Change and Well-Being at Work: A Longitudinal Study

This study investigates the role of attributes of organizational change, the attitudes toward change as an antecedent of well-being at work, and how these antecedents vary over the course of an organizational change. Organization change planning, perceived risk level, and attitudes toward organizational change are examined as antecedents. Attitudes toward change were tested as mediators in the relationship between change attributes and well-being. Hypotheses were tested in a three-wave study ( N = 505, N = 390, and N = 348 respondents, respectively) of employees from a public organization in Brazil undergoing a strategic reorientation. Attitudes toward change had stable positive effects in each wave, conducted 12, 24, and 48 months after the change was initiated. This study corroborates findings that uncertainty and risk contribute to the formation of negative cognitions and feelings throughout the process of organizational change but do not necessarily result in discomfort in relation to the work. The effects of planning the change and the perceived risk level of the change were not moderated by time. This study’s results do not support the ideas of gradual shifts and discontinuous information processing in cognitive models of employees. In contrast, it is possible to conclude that perceptions are confirmed over time. Implications for managing employee reactions and well-being in different phases of change are discussed.

When and How Does Psychological Voice Climate Influence Individual Change Readiness? The Mediating Role of Normative Commitment and the Moderating Role of Work Engagement

This research explores the linking mechanisms and conditional processes underlying the relationship between psychological voice climate and individual change readiness. In accordance with the social identity theory, we argued that normative commitment would mediate the relationship between psychological voice climate and individual change readiness; furthermore, work engagement would moderate the proposed indirect effect. Two-wave survey data were collected from 187 full-time employees in a government-owned institute of research and development and were adopted for moderated mediation analysis. The results showed that normative commitment mediates the relationship between psychological voice climate and individual change readiness. Furthermore, work engagement strengthens the effect of psychological voice climate on individual change readiness in an indirect manner via normative commitment. Based on the findings, the theoretical implications and practical suggestions were discussed.

Risk of psychological ill health and methods of organisational downsizing: a cross-sectional survey in four European countries

BACKGROUND

The manner in which organizational downsizing is implemented can make a substantial difference as to whether the exposed workers will suffer from psychological ill health. Surprisingly, little research has directly investigated this issue. We examined the likelihood of psychological ill health associated with strategic and reactive downsizing.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey included 1456 respondents from France, Sweden, Hungary and the United Kingdom: 681 employees in stable workplaces (reference group) and 775 workers from downsized companies. Reactive downsizing was exemplified by the exposures to compulsory redundancies of medium to large scale resulting in job loss or surviving a layoff while staying employed in downsized organizations. The workforce exposed to strategic downsizing was represented by surplus employees who were internally redeployed and supported through their career change process within a policy context of "no compulsory redundancy". Symptoms of anxiety, depression and emotional exhaustion were assessed in telephone interviews with brief subscales from Hospital Anxiety Scale (HADS-A), Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-CD₆) and Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-GS). Data were analyzed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

We observed no increased risk of psychological ill health in the case of strategic downsizing. The number of significant associations with psychological ill health was the largest for the large-scale reactive downsizing: surviving a layoff was consistently associated with all three outcome measures; returning to work after the job loss experience was related to anxiety and depression, while persons still unemployed at interview had elevated odds of anxiety. After reactive medium-scale downsizing, unemployment at interview was the only exposure associated with anxiety and depression.

CONCLUSIONS

The manner in which organizational downsizing is implemented can be important for the psychological wellbeing of workers. If downsizing is unavoidable, it should be achieved strategically. Greater attention is needed to employment and health policies supporting the workers after reactive downsizing.

Integrating Job Loss, Unemployment, and Reemployment With Social Cognitive Career Theory

Job loss and recovery remain critical challenges in the United States and Europe in the wake of the Great Recession. However, the experience of unemployment is poorly integrated in theories of vocational psychology. In this article, we explore how job loss and recovery can be understood through the lens of social cognitive career theory’s career self-management (SCCT-CSM) model. We apply the SCCT-CSM model to understand the critical importance of person-cognitive variables, individual differences, and contextual affordances to the experiences of job loss and job recovery. Implications for future research, including research with particular groups of unemployed persons, are discussed. Overall, our analysis indicates that the SCCT-CSM model is a fruitful perspective for organizing future scholarship related to job loss and recovery.

Teachers’ perceptions of fairness, well-being and burnout

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the validation of the Organizational Justice Index (OJI) by Hoy and Tarter (2004), a self-report questionnaire for teachers’ perceptions of fairness in the operation and administration of schools.

Design/methodology/approach

– In two studies the authors validated the Italian version of the OJI. Study 1 included 164 Italian high school teachers (76.8 percent were female) to test structure and construct validity. Study 2 involved 200 teachers (permanent and temporary teachers) to confirm the structure of the scale, test the construct and criterion validity, and invariance.

Findings

– Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the one-factor solution and that the structure of the scale was the same across teachers. Results revealed high internal reliability. The OJI correlated positively with equity, school climate, and job satisfaction, and negatively with depression and burnout.

Research limitations/implications

– Since the research approach could lead to common method variance issues, it will be important to determine the associations of OJI with non-self-report assessments.

Practical implications

– The OJI can be applied optimally to: assess potential organizational problems prior to conducting major interventions; investigate school dynamic problems; target interventions designed to enhance perception of organizational justice; incorporate evaluation of organizational justice as part of regular employee assessments.

Originality/value

– Overall findings fill the need of standardized measures of organizational justice for specific context. The OJI is a valid instrument to measure organizational justice in school, involving different type of teachers.

Procedural Justice, Distributive Justice: How Experiences With Downsizing Condition Their Impact On Organizational Commitment

Previous research demonstrates that both procedural justice and distributive justice are important predictors of work attitudes. This research, however, fails to examine conditions that affect the relative importance of each type of justice. Here we argue that prior experiences with regard to downsizing shape individuals' workplace schemas, which in turn affect the relative salience of each type of justice for organizational commitment. We test hypotheses using data from a nationally representative sample of workers. Only distributive justice predicts organizational commitment among victims of downsizing, while procedural justice is the stronger predictor among survivors of downsizing and unaffected workers. Comparisons across models indicate that procedural justice is a more important predictor of organizational commitment for survivors and unaffected workers than for victims, while distributive justice is more important for victims than for either survivors or unaffected workers. We conclude by discussing the theoretical implications of our findings.

A relação entre atributos, atitudes e bem-estar na mudança organizacional

RESUMO Um modelo para avaliar se atitudes medeiam a relação entre os atributos de mudança organizacional e o bem-estar foi testado com uma amostra de 795 trabalhadores oriundos de três diferentes organizações públicas que passaram por processos de mudança organizacional. Três instrumentos foram aplicados pela internet, a saber: Escala dos atributos da mudança organizacional, escalas de atitudes frente a mudança organizacional e de bem-estar no trabalho. Diferentes amostras foram utilizadas para análises fatoriais confirmatórias das escalas e os resultados indicaram bons índices de validade das estruturas originais das escalas. Análises de trajetória ( Path Analysis ( foram realizadas para testar o modelo de mediação. O modelo foi parcialmente corroborado apontando a influência das atitudes e dos atributos de mudança no bem-estar.

Trends in job satisfaction among German nurses from 1990 to 2012

OBJECTIVE

Improving the job satisfaction of nurses is essential to enhance their productivity and retention and to improve patient care. Our aim was to analyse trends in German nurses' job satisfaction to enhance understanding of the nursing labour market and inform future policies.

METHODS

We used 1990-2012 German Socioeconomic Panel data for trends in nurses' job satisfaction. Comparisons were drawn with doctors, other health care workers, and employees in other sectors of employment. Analysis explored associations between job satisfaction trends and other aspects of employment, such as whether full time or part time and pay. To account for fluctuations across the period of analysis, linear trends were generated using ordinary least squares.

RESULTS

Over 23 years, job satisfaction of German nurses underwent a steady and gradual decline, dropping by an average 7.5%, whereas that of doctors and other health care workers increased by 14.4% and 1%, respectively. The decline for part-time nurses (13%) was more pronounced than that for full-time nurses (3%). At the same time, nurses' pay rose by only 3.8% compared to a 23.8% increase for doctors.

CONCLUSIONS

The steady decline in nurses' job satisfaction over the last two decades may be attributable to the multiple reforms and associated policy changes that generally disadvantaged nurses. Contributing factors to job satisfaction decline include lower pay and the demanding and strenuous work environment. Irrespective of the reason, health services researchers, leaders, and policy makers should investigate the reasons for this decline given the forecast growth in work load and complexity of care. Supportive policies for nurses would help enhance the quality and sustainability of German health care.

Depressive symptoms as a cause and effect of job loss in men and women: evidence in the context of organisational downsizing from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health

BACKGROUND

Few studies have examined depression as both a cause and effect of unemployment, but no prior work investigated these relationships in the context of organisational downsizing. We explored whether the exposure to downsizing is associated with subsequent depression (social causation), and whether pre-existing depression increases the risk of being laid off when organisations downsize (health selection).

METHODS

Two successive waves of the nationally representative Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health represented the baseline (2008) and follow-up (2010) of this study. Analyses included 196 workers who lost their jobs through downsizing, 1462 layoff survivors remaining in downsized organisations and 1845 employees of non-downsized workplaces. The main outcomes were: (1) Depressive symptoms at follow-up, assessed with a brief subscale from the Symptom Checklist 90, categorised by severity levels ("major depression", "less severe symptoms" and "no depression") and analysed in relation to earlier downsizing exposure; (2) Job loss in persons with downsizing in relation to earlier depressive symptoms. The associations were assessed by means of multinomial logistic regression.

RESULTS

Job loss consistently predicted subsequent major depression among men and women, with a somewhat greater effect size in men. Surviving a layoff was significantly associated with subsequent major depression in women but not in men. Women with major depression have increased risks of exclusion from employment when organisations downsize, whereas job loss in men was not significantly influenced by their health.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence from this study suggests that the relative importance of social causation and health selection varies by gender in the context of organisational downsizing. Strategies for handling depression among employees should be sensitive to gender-specific risks during layoffs. Policies preventing social exclusion can be important for female workers at higher risk of depression.

Variáveis de Contexto e Respostas à Mudança Organizacional: Testando o Papel Mediador das Atitudes

RESUMO No contexto atual, a regra nas organizações passou a ser a mudança em ritmo cada vez mais acelerado, demandando constante assimilação por parte dos empregados. Por isso, este estudo investiga a mediação das atitudes na relação entre contexto e respostas à mudança organizacional. Para testar esse modelo de mediação foi realizado um estudo transversal quantitativo em duas organizações públicas. Os 981 participantes responderam três escalas. Foram realizadas análises de confiabilidade das medidas e análises de regressão para o teste do modelo de mediação. O modelo foi parcialmente corroborado, indicando a influência da atitude e do contexto nas respostas comportamentais à mudança organizacional. Este estudo tem implicações teóricas e metodológicas para o campo do comportamento organizacional. A contribuição prática se refere a um aumento da compreensão a respeito dos fatores que facilitam o sucesso das mudanças organizacionais.

Fear itself: The effects of distressing economic news on birth outcomes

I use new administrative data on mass layoffs and plant closings to study the effects of distressing economic news. Exposure to stressful events during pregnancy can impair fetal development. I find that announcement of impending job losses leads to a transient decrease in the mean birth weight within the firm's county one to four months before the job losses. A loss of 500 jobs corresponds roughly to a decrease of 15-20g and 16 percent greater risk of low birth weight. Layoffs announced late in pregnancy are most strongly linked to decreased birth outcomes.

[Changes in the nature of work]

"Dynamic", "complexity", and "diversity" are terms that best describe the challenges in the workplace resulting from the changing nature of work. These changes should conform to the criteria of human-related work design. However, the number of pensions for reduced earning capacity and the number of unfit for work days caused by psychic disorders are rising. Affective disorders, including depression, are the largest group. Depression represents a long-term consequence of work demands. Empirical results confirm a significant relationship between depression and the objective existing as well as the subjective perceived workload conditions. Burn-out as a further long-term consequence depends inter alia on the design of the physical work demands, the environmental conditions, the psychosocial conditions, and the transparency of the decision and information processes in a company. Additionally, empirical results show that the short-term consequences of work demands, i.e., fatigue, satiation, and monotony correlate with the burn-out components of exhaustion and alienation from work. Furthermore, using restructuring as an example, it is demonstrated that the changes in work that accompany modifications in the working world also have other health-related consequences.

'It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it': lessons for health care from decommissioning of older people's services

Public sector organisations are facing one of the most difficult financial periods in history and local decision-makers are tasked with making tough rationing decisions. Withdrawing or limiting services is an emotive and complex task and something the National Health Service has always found difficult. Over time, local authorities have gained significant experience in the closure of care homes - an equally complex and controversial issue. Drawing on local knowledge and best practice examples, this article highlights lessons and themes identified by those decommissioning care home services. We believe that such lessons are relevant to those making disinvestment decisions across public sector services, including health-care. The study employed semi-structured interviews with 12 Directors of Adult Social Services who had been highlighted nationally as having extensive experience of home closures. Interviews were conducted over a 2-week period in March 2011. Results from the study found that having local policy guidance that is perceived as fair and reasonable was advocated by those involved in home closures. Many local policies had evolved over time and had often been developed following experiences of home closures (both good and bad). Decisions to close care home services require a combination of strong leadership, clear strategic goals, a fair decision-making process, strong evidence of the need for change and good communication, alongside wider stakeholder engagement and support. The current financial challenge means that public sector organisations need to make tough choices on investment and disinvestment decisions. Any such decisions need to be influenced by what we know constitutes best practice. Sharing lessons and experiences within and between sectors could well inform and develop decision-making practices.

The mediating role of organizational justice in the relationship between transformational leadership and nurses' quality of work life: a cross-sectional questionnaire survey

BACKGROUND

The importance of transformational leadership for nurses' well-being is increasingly acknowledged. However, there is a paucity of research examining the mechanisms that may explain the relationships between transformational leadership and nurses' quality of work life.

OBJECTIVES

First, to examine two possible psychological mechanisms that link transformational leadership behaviors to nurses' quality of work life. Second, to study the relationship between nurses' quality of work life and their work engagement.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study design.

SETTINGS

The study took place in 47 different hematology, oncology, and hematology/oncology units in France. Participants were nurses and auxiliary nurses.

PARTICIPANTS

343 nurses completed the questionnaire. Surveys were sent to all nurses working in the units. 95% were female, the average age was 36.30 years.

METHODS

Nurses were asked to rate their supervisor's transformational leadership style and their perceptions of distributive and interactional justice in the unit. They were also asked to evaluate their own level of quality of work life and their work engagement.

RESULTS

Distributive justice and interactional justice were found to fully mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and nurses' quality of work life. In addition, nurses' quality of work life positively related to their work engagement.

CONCLUSIONS

Transformational leaders may help ensure nurses' quality of work life which in turn increases their work engagement. These leadership practices are thus beneficial for both employees and organization.

Examining Burnout and Engagement in Layoff Survivors

This study investigates burnout and work engagement in layoff survivors. Layoff survivors are defined as individuals who remain working at organizations that have recently had layoffs. Job demands (job insecurity and work overload) and job and personal resources (social support, optimism, career adaptability, and career management self-efficacy) are examined as predictors of burnout and engagement. The sample consists of 203 adults currently working at organizations that downsized within the past year. As hypothesized, job demands had positive relationships with burnout, while social support, optimism, and career management self-efficacy had positive relationships with engagement. Contrary to hypotheses, career adaptability was not positively related to engagement. Engagement also mediated the relationships between several resources and burnout. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature, as little research has examined personal strengths of layoff survivors, in addition to job characteristics.

A narrative review on the effect of economic downturns on the nursing labour market: implications for policy and planning

Economic downturns and recession lead to budget cuts and service reductions in the healthcare sector which often precipitate layoffs and hiring freezes. Nurses, being the largest professional group in healthcare, are strongly affected by cost reductions. Economic downturns destabilize the nursing labour market with potential negative outcomes, including serious shortages, extending beyond the recessionary period. The objectives of this manuscript are to provide an overview of the potential short- and long-run impact of economic downturns on the supply and demand of nurses, and present healthcare decision makers with a framework to enhance their ability to strategically manage their human resources through economic cycles.A narrative review of the literature on the effects of economic downturns on the nursing labour market in developed countries was carried out with a special focus on studies offering a longitudinal examination of labour force trends. Analysis indicates that economic downturns limit the ability of public payers and institutions to finance their existing health workforce. As salaried healthcare workers, nurses are especially susceptible to institutional budget cuts. In the short run, economic downturns may temporarily reduce the demand for and increase the supply of nurses, thereby influencing nursing wages and turnover rates. These effects may destabilise the nursing labour market in the long run. After economic downturns, the market would quickly display the pre-recessionary trends and there may be serious demand-supply imbalances resulting in severe shortages. Potential long-term effects of recession on the nursing labour market may include a downsized active workforce, difficulty in retaining younger nurses, a decreased supply of nurses and workforce casualisation.Lack of understanding of labour market dynamics and trends might mislead policy makers into making misinformed workforce downsizing decisions that are often difficult and expensive to reverse. In the aftermath of an economic downturn, the costs of attracting nurses back often outweigh the short term cost savings. Effective management should support the nursing workforce by creating attractive and stable work environments to retain nurses at a manageable cost.

Occupational musculoskeletal and mental health: Significance of rationalization and opportunities to create sustainable production systems - A systematic review

This literature review aims to identify occupational musculoskeletal and mental health effects of production system rationalization as well as organizational-level measures that may improve health outcome ("modifiers" in this review). A short review of the effect of ergonomic interventions is included as background and rationalization is discussed as a theoretical concept. Indicator variables for occupational musculoskeletal and mental health and related risk factors are presented. Variables with a generalized format were allowed in the literature searches (e.g., job satisfaction and absenteeism were accepted as risk factor and health indicator, respectively), suitable for the research fields of work sociology, organization science, human resource management (HRM) and economics research. One hundred and sixty-two studies of rationalization effects on health and risk factors and 72 organization-level modifier results were accepted into the final database. Entries were sorted by rationalization strategy and work life sector, and trends in outcome (positive, mixed, no effect, or negative effect on health and risk factors) were determined. Rationalizations have a dominant negative effect on health and risk factors (57% negative, 19% positive); the most negative effects were found for downsizing and restructuring rationalizations in general (71 studies negative, 13 positive) and for the health care sector in particular (36 studies negative, 2 positive). The rationalization strategy High Performance Work System (HPWS) was associated with the highest fraction positive outcome studies (6 of 10 studies). Other rationalization strategies (lean practices, parallel vs. serial production and mechanization level) reported intermediate results, in part dependent on work life sector, but also on the year when studies were carried out. Worker participation, resonant management style, information, support, group autonomy and procedural justice were modifiers with favourable influence on outcome. It is concluded that production system rationalization represents a pervasive work life intervention without a primary occupational health focus. It has considerable and mostly negative influence on worker health, but this can be reduced by attention to modifiers. The results create a basis for new priorities in ergonomic intervention research.

Career trajectories of nurses leaving the hospital sector in Ontario, Canada (1993-2004)

AIM

This paper is a report of an analysis of the career trajectories of nurses 1 year after leaving hospitals.

BACKGROUND

Although hospitals are traditionally the largest employers of nurses, technological advances and budgetary constraints have resulted in many countries in relative shrinkage of the hospital sector and a shift of care (and jobs) into home/community settings. It has been often assumed that nurses displaced from hospitals will move to work in the other workplaces, especially the community sector.

METHOD

Employment patterns were tracked by examining a longitudinal database of all 201,463 nurses registered with the College of Nurses Ontario (Canada) between 1993 and 2004. Focusing on the employment categories Active (Working in nursing), Eligible-Seeking nursing employment or Dropout from the nursing labour market, year-to-year transition matrixes were generated by sector and sub-sector of employment, nurse type, age group and work status.

FINDINGS

For every nurse practising nursing in any non-hospital job or in the community a year after leaving hospitals, an average of 1.3 and four nurses, respectively, dropped out of Ontario's labour market. The proportion of nurses leaving hospitals transitioning to the Dropout category ranged from 63.3% (1994-95) to 38.6% (2001-02). The proportion dropping out of Ontario's market was higher for Registered Practical Nurses (compared to Registered Nurses), increased with age and decreased with degree of casualization in nurses' jobs.

CONCLUSION

Downsizing hospitals without attention to the potentially negative impact on the nursing workforce can lead to retention difficulties and adversely affects the overall supply of nurses.

Overstretched and Unreciprocated Commitment: Reviewing Research on the Occupational Health and Safety Effects of Downsizing and Job Insecurity

Over the past two decades, a leading business practice has been often-repeated rounds of downsizing and restructuring (also referred to as reorganization, re-engineering, and a host of other euphemistic terms) by large private and public sector employers. Frequently associated with other practices such as outsourcing, privatization, and the increased use of temporary workers, downsizing/restructuring has increased the level of job insecurity among workers as well as leading to changes in work processes (including work intensification and multi-tasking) and management behavior. How has downsizing/restructuring and increased job insecurity affected the occupational health, safety, and well-being of workers, and what measures have employers, unions, and governments taken to address any adverse effects? The authors reviewed international studies of the occupational health and safety (OHS) effects of downsizing/restructuring and increased job insecurity undertaken over the past 20 years. After imposing quality filters, they obtained 86 studies. Analysis revealed that 73 (85%) of the studies found poorer OHS outcomes (using a range of measures). Studies were examined to see whether they provided clues as to the reasons for negative outcomes.

Employee Participation in Organizational Change: Investigating the Effects of Proactive vs. Reactive Implementation of Downsizing in Swedish Hospitals

Whereas employee participation is generally conceived to facilitate implementation of organizational change, only limited research has investigated whether it may reduce the negative effects of downsizing. The present study compares two Swedish hospitals that implemented downsizing in different ways. While there were no major differences in stressors between hospitals, proactive implementation was associated with more employee participation. Moreover, employee participation variables were positively associated with employee work attitudes and well-being at both hospitals. These findings provide insights concerning the importance of a long-term strategic implementation of organizational change.

The Interactive Effects of Job Insecurity and Organizational Cynicism on Work Effort Following a Layoff

The widespread layoffs of the past 25 years have caused unparalleled levels of distrust and frustration in organizations. Organizational cynicism, which is frequently a manifestation of this pervasive phenomenon, has been shown to affect postlayoff attitudes and behaviors. It is generally assumed that postlayoff cynicism is predictive solely of dysfunctional outcomes. However, there is evidence suggesting that favorable consequences may emerge in some settings. In this exploratory study, the authors examined the postlayoff reactions of managerial employees who survived a corporate downsizing 1 month prior to the onset of the data collection. More specifically, they investigated the interactive effects of organizational cynicism and job insecurity on survivors' inclination to expend work effort. They hypothesized that cynics would report higher levels of work effort when faced with perceived job insecurity than non-cynics. Results provided support for these hypotheses, as work effort increased concurrently with cynicism for those perceiving an insecure work environment. Implication of these results for science and practice, strengths and limitations, and an agenda for future research are provided.