Qualitative Job Insecurity and Informal Learning: A Longitudinal Test of Occupational Self-Efficacy and Psychological Contract Breach as Mediators

Abstract

Current work life has become increasingly turbulent, which has sparked employees’ concern about the loss of valued job features, coined as qualitative job insecurity. No prior research has investigated the relationship between this type of job insecurity and informal learning. However, informal learning might be particularly relevant for qualitatively job-insecure employees, as it might aid them to deal with the incessant changes in their work environment. This study examined whether qualitative job insecurity is associated with lower levels of three types of informal learning activities: information-seeking, feedback-seeking, and help-seeking behavior, and whether these relationships are mediated by a decline in occupational self-efficacy and an increase in psychological contract breach. We employed a three-wave panel design to survey 1433 Belgian employees. Results, by means of cross-lagged structural equation modelling, demonstrated that occupational self-efficacy mediates the 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 behavior. This study demonstrates that qualitatively job-insecure employees are less likely to engage in informal learning via a decrease in occupational self-efficacy and an increase in psychological contract breach, thereby becoming even more vulnerable in an increasingly volatile work environment.

Effect of Gig Workers’ Psychological Contract Fulfillment on Their Task Performance in a Sharing Economy—A Perspective from the Mediation of Organizational Identification and the Moderation of Length of Service

“…Obligations refer to employees' perception of their employers' specific promises, and PCF is the extent of employers' fulfillment of their obligations based on employees' perception [8]. In contrast, when employees perceive that their employer fails to keep its promises in the psychological contract, it is understood as psychological contract breach [36,41]. Obligations and fulfillment have likewise been proven to induce job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and low intention to quit [24,42].…”

Investigating the Effect of (Covid-19) on Fear of Job Insecurity and Psychological Outcomes Moderation Meditational Analysis

“…The current study added multiple advantages to the previous literature of JIS and more specifically to align various theories under one conceptual mode. It conforms the role of PCB as a single mediating variable validated by (DeCyper and DeWitte., 2007;Niesen, et al,2018a;Niesen, et al,2018b) as well as multiple mediator (Vander Elst., 2015;Van Hootegem, & De Witte, 2019;Saif et al, 2020;Charkhabi, 2017).…”

“…Until various processes have been discussed i.e. frustration arouse due to PCB (Laba., 2015;Saif and Khan., 2020;Van Hootegem, & De Witte, 2019) lack of perceived control (Vander Elst at al., 2016;Saif et., 2018;Charkhabi., 2017). From the prospectus of organizational exchange, this study deals with how PCB arises from JIS that causes emotional exhaustion.…”

The Effect of Psychological Contract Combined With Stress and Health on Employees’ Management Behavior

“…The results show that the relationship contract breach has a significant negative impact on job satisfaction, and job satisfaction has a significant negative impact on turnover intention ( Hong and Kim, 2016 ). Van Hootegem and De Witte (2019) explored whether job insecurity is related to low-level information seeking, feedback seeking and help seeking behaviors, and whether these relationships are regulated by professional self-efficacy and psychological contract. The results show that violation of psychological contract can only mediate job insecurity.…”