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Feeling Weary? Feeling Insecure? Are All Workplace Changes Bad News?

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  • Irina Nikolova

    (Faculty of Management, Science and Technology, Open University, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands
    Research group for Work, Organisational and Personnel Psychology, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, 3000 Leuven, Belgium)

  • Karen van Dam

    (Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Open University, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands)

  • Joris Van Ruysseveldt

    (Faculty of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Open University, Valkenburgerweg 177, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands)

  • Hans De Witte

    (Research group for Work, Organisational and Personnel Psychology, KU Leuven, Dekenstraat 2, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
    Optentia Research Focus Area, Vanderbijlpark Campus, North-West University, Hendrik Van Eck Blvd, Vanderbijlpark 1900, South Africa)

Abstract

Prior research indicates that workplace changes can have both positive and negative consequences for employees. To explore the mechanisms that trigger these different outcomes, we propose and test a mediation model, which builds on the premises of the challenge–hindrance model of work stress. Specifically, we suggest that whereas workplace changes can engender positive outcomes (e.g., learning outcomes) through an increase in learning demands, they can also enhance negative outcomes (e.g., emotional exhaustion) through increased perceptions of qualitative job insecurity. While we made these specific assumptions, we also analyzed the reversed causation relationships. Two-wave data obtained from 1366 Dutch employees were used to test the study hypotheses. The results showed that the reciprocal causation model had the best fit for the data. However, whereas emotional exhaustion was only mediated by qualitative job insecurity, no mediation was found by learning demands. In addition to the hypothesized effects, several reversed causation effects emerged from the analyses, indicating that the relationships between workplace changes and employee learning and strain are not unidirectional. This underscores the need for a broader view on the causes and effects of workplace changes, as the traditional causation relationships (i.e., perceptions of workplace changes impacting employee learning and strain experiences) are insufficient to explain the complex dynamics between the studied phenomena.

Suggested Citation

  • Irina Nikolova & Karen van Dam & Joris Van Ruysseveldt & Hans De Witte, 2019. "Feeling Weary? Feeling Insecure? Are All Workplace Changes Bad News?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-22, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:10:p:1842-:d:233841
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jiménez-Jiménez, Daniel & Sanz-Valle, Raquel, 2011. "Innovation, organizational learning, and performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(4), pages 408-417, April.
    2. Blomme, Robert J. & Kodden, Bas & Beasley-Suffolk, Annamaria, 2015. "Leadership theories and the concept of work engagement: Creating a conceptual framework for management implications and research," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 125-144, March.
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    4. Hans De Witte & Nele De Cuyper & Yasmin Handaja & Magnus Sverke & Katharina Näswall & Johnny Hellgren, 2010. "Associations Between Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity and Well-Being," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(1), pages 40-56, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mavis Agyemang Opoku & Hyejung Yoon & Seung-Wan Kang & Myoungsoon You, 2021. "How to Mitigate the Negative Effect of Emotional Exhaustion among Healthcare Workers: The Role of Safety Climate and Compensation," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-15, June.
    2. Zubair Akram & Yan Li & Umair Akram, 2019. "When Employees are Emotionally Exhausted Due to Abusive Supervision. A Conservation-of-Resources Perspective," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Yvette Akkermans & Dave Stynen, 2023. "Subtle Cutback Management and Exhaustion: Qualitative Job Insecurity as a Mediator in a Sample of Dutch and Belgian Employees," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(9), pages 1-15, April.

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