Associations of Job Insecurity With Perceived Work-Related Symptoms, Job Satisfaction, and Turnover Intentions: The Mediating Role of Leader–Member Exchange and the Moderating Role of Organizational Support

Abstract

This study wants to examine effects of job insecurity on several work-related outcomes (perceived work-related symptoms, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions) by developing a moderated mediation model. The model emphasizes the role played by the quality of leader–member exchange (LMX) in mediating the relation between perceived job insecurity and outcomes related to work, and the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS) in influencing the mediation. Survey data from 510 workers at Italian organizations were collected, and regression was used to evaluate the hypotheses. After age, gender, education, and organizational tenure were controlled, results showed that perceived quality of LMX carried the effect of job insecurity on all outcomes, and that this relationship was stronger for employees who reported higher levels of POS. This study makes important theoretical and practical contributions to job insecurity, LMX, and POS research, underlining the importance of promoting the leader–member relationship’s quality in an ethical and supportive work environment.

Exploring the mediation role of employees’ well-being in the relationship between psychosocial factors and musculoskeletal pain during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Furthermore, the balance model by Carayon et al [11] incorporates feedback loops from MSDs outcomes to stress reactions and work organizations which provide a more dynamic and holistic work system. Despite the existence of theoretical frameworks proposing the mechanism behind the links between psychosocial factors and MSDs, very few studies have been undertaken to validate these models of which findings remain inconsistent [20][21][22][23][24]. These conflicting findings might be partly due to the different operational definitions and measurements of the psychosocial factors.…”

“…High levels of job insecurity can lead to low motivation and compliance with safety measures, increasing workrelated injuries [36]. Beyond the pandemic context, employees experiencing heightened job insecurities are associated with higher odds with the development of MSDs [37,38], poor physical health [39], and worse mental health outcomes [22,40]. In the pandemic context, a large body of evidence shows the impact of job security on psychological wellbeing [22,41] but no information on the occurrence of musculoskeletal complaints.…”

Job Insecurity and Job Performance: A Serial Mediated Relationship and the Buffering Effect of Organizational Justice

“…Gaining a deeper understanding of workers’ experience of job insecurity and its consequences on psychological health and job performance has become crucial. So far, the literature has been focused on exploring the relationship between job insecurity on mental health outcomes (e.g., László et al, 2010 ; Griep et al, 2021 ) from one side, work attitudes, such as job satisfaction ( Di Stefano et al, 2020 ), counterproductive work behavior ( Van den Broeck et al, 2014 ), and job performance (e.g., Stynen et al, 2015 ) on the other side. However, there is a growing focus on exploring the underlying mechanisms of how job insecurity develops into subsequent health and behavioral effects through intermediate drivers ( De Witte et al, 2016 ).…”

“…However, there is a growing focus on exploring the underlying mechanisms of how job insecurity develops into subsequent health and behavioral effects through intermediate drivers ( De Witte et al, 2016 ). In other words, a specific concern is to understand the conditions under which job insecurity leads to impaired performance ( Di Stefano et al, 2020 ).…”

“…For example, Silla et al, (2010) highlighted how an organization perceived as fair and equal moderates the adverse effects of job insecurity on aspects, such as commitment, satisfaction, or intention to stay. Following the theoretical perspective of social exchange, Di Stefano et al (2020) showed how a supportive organizational context moderated the relationship between job insecurity, employee-leader relationships, and job-related outcomes, such as job satisfaction and turnover intention.…”