Job insecurity and employee health: The buffering potential of job control and job self-efficacy

• Published in: Work and stress Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 56 - 72
• Main Authors: Schreurs, Bert, van Emmerik, Hetty, Notelaers, Guy, De Witte, Hans
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Taylor & Francis Group 01.01.2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Autonomy; Biological and medical sciences; control; Effects; Employment; Employment security; Empowerment; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Handicapped; insecurity; job demands; Job satisfaction; Mental stress; Occupational health; Occupational psychology; Occupational Safety and Health; Organization theory; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; recovery; Regression analysis; self-efficacy; Studies; Work condition. Job performance. Stress; Work motivation; work stress; Workers; Belgium; Social environment; Human; Health; control; work motivation; Recovery; Stress; Employee; Motivation; Job insecurity; Cross sectional study; self-efficacy; Self efficacy; work stress; Autonomy; Coping; Working condition; insecurity; job demands
• ISSN: 0267-8373; 1464-5335
• DOI: 10.1080/02678371003718733

This study examines the direct and moderating effects of two types of control that employees have over the work situation - job control and job self-efficacy - on the relationship between job insecurity and employee health. The authors hypothesize that job control and job self-efficacy attenuate the negative effects of job insecurity on both a short-term (i.e. need for recovery) and a long-term health outcome (i.e. impaired general health). These hypotheses were examined using survey data collected from a heterogeneous sample of 1368 Belgian workers. Results of moderated regression analysis showed that job control, but not job self-efficacy, buffered the negative effects of job insecurity on employee health. We conclude that organizations can temper the negative health effects of job insecurity by giving their employees more control over their work.