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Job insecure and not learning anymore? A comprehensive approach to the interplay between job insecurity and work-related learning over time

Boek - Dissertatie

The labour market has become more volatile, which gave rise to increased perceptions of both quantitative (i.e., perceived threat of job loss) and qualitative job insecurity (i.e., perceived threat of losing valued job features). At the same time, this increasingly turbulent organisational landscape heightened the importance of work-related learning (WRL). Especially job-insecure workers might benefit from engaging in WRL, as it might function as a strategy to keep up with the rapidly growing and changing work environment and to prepare for future job changes. Job insecurity, however, has been shown to bring about a rather passive reaction. If job-insecure employees also withdraw from WRL, this might further undermine sustainability in career-related matters. Yet, surprisingly little research has investigated the relation between both forms of job insecurity and WRL. Moreover, most available research on this topic fails to implement a theoretical framework and subsequent explanatory mechanisms, is based on cross-sectional studies, and does not take multiple aspects of WRL into account. The general aim of this PhD project is to probe the aforementioned relationship. More specifically, we address this guided by three objectives: (1) Explaining the relationship between job insecurity and WRL, (2) Providing a longitudinal test of the relationship between job insecurity and WRL, and (3) Adopting a comprehensive view on WRL. These objectives are implemented in five empirical studies. To test our hypotheses, we drew upon the longitudinal data of four samples, which have been gathered among Belgian or Dutch employees. In Study 1, we investigated the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy (OSE) and psychological contract breach (PCB) in the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and informal learning. Based on a cross-lagged panel model, our findings showed that OSE mediates the negative relationship between qualitative job insecurity and information-seeking, feedback-seeking from colleagues, and feedback-seeking from one's supervisor, while psychological contract breach only mediated the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and feedback-seeking from one's supervisor. Both mediators were not significantly related to help-seeking behaviour. Study 2 employed a random-intercept cross-lagged panel model to examine the impact of quantitative job insecurity on participation in formal development activities and the explanatory roles of need for development and availability of learning opportunities in this relationship. We found that increases in job insecurity were related to increases in the need for development and decreases in perceived learning opportunities, both of which were not significantly related to participation in formal learning activities. In Study 3, we examined the mediating role of OSE in the relationship between both types of job insecurity and the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and competencies (KSAOs) using a parallel process second-order growth curve model. The results indicated that changes in employees' levels of job insecurity were negatively related to changes in their levels of OSE, which, in turn, were positively related to changes in the extent to which employees obtained KSAOs. Study 4 adopted a person-centred approach to identify profiles based on the conjoint development of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity over time, and to examine if these employee groups vary with regard to different work-related learning aspects. Five job insecurity developmental patterns were identified. Those in trajectories with high initial levels of job insecurity had lower initial levels of OSE, learning from others, and KSAOs than those with low initial levels of job insecurity. Additionally, job insecurity trajectories differed in the development of OSE over time. In Study 5, we also used a person-centred approach to investigate longitudinal profiles of the extent to which employees were willing (i.e., one's learning intention) and able (i.e., one's training opportunities) to participate in formal development activities, which resulted in four distinct profiles. We investigated the role of quantitative job insecurity as a predictor, and psychological contract breach as an outcome, of these trajectories. When employees had higher job insecurity scores, they had a higher likelihood of belonging to a profile with a higher, albeit slightly decreasing, learning intention and consistently low perceived opportunities to partake in formal learning. Moreover, trajectories characterised by stable and low training opportunities had higher perceptions of psychological contract breach.
Jaar van publicatie:2021
Toegankelijkheid:Closed