SummaryThe competitive environment of business today makes corporate layoffs an organizational reality, and losing one's job can be a highly stressful experience. We propose and test a model that places objective underemployment and subjective underemployment in a causal sequence between organizational actions and employees' restoration of equilibrium by obtaining jobs worth keeping. We longitudinally examine relationships between layoff fairness, workers' stress symptoms and appraisal, and subsequent employment outcomes among 149 laid-off technical employees over the course of one year. Structural equation model results support seven of nine hypothesized paths, and demonstrate discriminant validity between and mediational properties of objective and subjective underemployment. Findings also reveal the important role that employees' perceptions and subjective assessments play in successfully returning to pre-job loss equilibrium following displacement.

PurposeThe study aims to examine the association between job satisfaction and demographic variables, such as years in profession, of healthcare professionals in an in‐patient rehabilitation hospital setting.Design/methodology/approachA total of 128 employees were surveyed using a 47‐item opinion survey to assess demographic variables and overall job satisfaction, as well as nine facets of job satisfaction.FindingsThe findings indicate that years in profession (professional experience) is associated with job satisfaction in a defined pattern.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings need to be tested in other professional groups where plateauing is common. The results are limited by the use of a convenience sample, relatively small sample size, some categorical data that restricted the forms of analysis, and the fact that only demographic variables were examined. The use of continuous measures and broadening the study to include other organizational variables and personal variables would provide more robust results.Practical implicationsThe paper suggests a two‐tier program of coaching and mentoring to address issues in job motivation, which may lead to increased job satisfaction and retention of health care professionals.Originality/valueDrawing from earlier literature, strategies such as mentoring and coaching are proposed for moderating the negative effect of plateauing on satisfaction. The value of the paper is the identification of a pattern in the motivation of plateaued employees and the application of previous findings about coaching and mentoring that may address issues of employee motivation and retention.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to study gender differences in the relationship between McClelland's needs, stress, and turnover intentions with work-family conflict. Design/methodology/approach -Survey data were collected from 383 individuals representing 15 different industries. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings -Results suggest that McClelland's needs act as an antecedent of work-family conflict, and that they have a differential impact on work-family conflict for women and men.Research limitations/implications -The subjects were college graduates, hence it was a self-selected sample, and the results may not generalise to other populations. Practical implications -Women are more affected by family obligations than men and this may impact the performance and turnover intentions of women in organisations. Originality/value -This paper enhances understanding of work-family conflict by specifically examining individual differences such as need for power, need for achievement and need for affiliation and evaluating their impact on turnover intention and job tension.

The functional approach to human behavior is used to study the impact of intrinsic motivators of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Specifically, McClelland's needs for affiliation, achievement, and power are investigated as possible moderators in the relationship between OCB and organizational trust and perceived organizational support (POS). Survey data from 700 employees were analyzed using regression analysis. Results indicate the need for achievement and the need for power moderate the relationships between OCB and organizational trust and POS but in an unexpected manner. This study is significant because it enhances our understanding of what motivates OCB.

Purpose -The purpose of this study is to examine the effect that work locus of control has on perceptions of trust, perceived organizational support, procedural justice and interactional justice. Design/methodology/approach -Survey data were collected from 679 alumni of a university in the Southwestern USA. Regression analyses and structural equation modeling were used to test a series of hypotheses. Findings -The results indicate that work locus of control has a significant positive relationship on all variables. Perceived organizational support fully mediated the relationship between work locus of control and perceptions of both procedural and interactional justice. Organizational trust fully mediated the relationship between work locus of control and interactional justice, but only partially mediated the relationship between work locus of control and procedural justice.Research limitations/implications -The data used in this paper are cross-sectional. Also, results are based on self-report survey data and subject to common method bias. As such, longitudinal studies are recommended for future research, as are finding antecedents to perceptions of justice that may help managers improve the way they communicate about decision-making at work. Originality/value -Findings from the study suggest the important role that personality plays as a precursor to justice perceptions in organizations.