Voice and silence as immediate consequences of job insecurity

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the weekly effects of job insecurity on employee voice and silence. Specifically, the authors argue that because employment fulfils important needs, employees’ needs are less fulfilled when they feel that their job is at risk (i.e. high job insecurity). Consequently, the authors argue that employees engage in less voice and more silence because when employees’ needs are not fulfilled, they are less committed to the organization and/or protect their personal resources. Design/methodology/approach The authors tested their hypotheses in a five-week long diary study among 97 employees. Findings The authors found that employees reported lower need fulfilment in those weeks and the week after job insecurity was higher, which, in turn, decreased employee voice and increased employee silence in those weeks and the week after. Research limitations/implications The study shows that feelings about one’s job insecurity fluctuate from week to week and that the weekly negative effects associated with increased job insecurity can be explained from a needs fulfilment perspective. The study also highlights the importance of studying voice and silence simultaneously. Practical implications Managers could indirectly increase employees’ voice and decrease employees’ silence by reducing feelings of job insecurity to increase employees’ feelings of predictability of and control over their future. Originality/value The authors studied short-term effects of job insecurity on both employee voice and silence, and examined need fulfilment as an underlying mechanism to explain the effects of job insecurity.

Job Insecurity and Employee Engagement: A Moderated Dual Path Model

“…In addition, based on the resource conservation theory, some researchers found that due to the limitation of internal resources, individuals usually lack sufficient energy and resources to cope with external pressure, resulting in reduced engagement [30]. Employment as a demand, when employees are aware that their work is in a dangerous state (that is, a high degree of job insecurity), that is, their needs are threatened or cannot be met, individuals tend to protect their own resources and reduce the input of work resources [4]. Secondly, job insecurity can induce individuals to produce emotions such as anxiety, complaint and depression, and these adverse emotional reactions will lead to deviant behaviors to varying degrees.…”

“…A large number of studies have shown that job insecurity has become a common source of stress for employees. On the one hand, negative workplace effects caused by job insecurity, such as turnover intention [3], workplace silence [4], workplace bullying [5], etc., that will undermine the organization's human resource management system, thus affecting the sustainable development of the organization. On the other hand, employees' mental health problems caused by job insecurity, such as emotional exhaustion [6], anxiety [7], etc., that will destroy the family harmony of employees, lead to a decline in health and quality of life, and have an impact on social stability and sustainable development [8].…”

Caught between Scylla and Charybdis: How Economic Stressors and Occupational Risk Factors Influence Workers’ Occupational Health Reactions to COVID‐19

“…Based upon theory and research on employee voice and silence (Hirschman, 1970), we expect that workers who are worried about potential job loss may be more hesitant to voice concerns about potential COVID‐19 risks. Indeed, research suggests that job insecurity is associated with a decrease in the use of voice (Berntson, Näswall, & Sverke, 2010; Breevaart, Lopez Bohle, Pletzer, & Muñoz Medina, 2020; Schreurs, Günter, Jawahar, & de Cuyper, 2015); moreover, such silence on the part of employees is understandable considering research findings that supervisors view employees who challenge (rather than affirm) them as a potential threat (Burris, 2012). Thus, employees already fearful of potential job loss may be less likely to speak out against perceived health and safety risks.…”

Silent Counterattack: The Impact of Workplace Bullying on Employee Silence

“…With increasingly fierce competition prevalent in the external environment, enterprises pay more attention to employee voices since such behavior can promote their competitive advantages. As in the micro foundation of enterprises, employees are more likely to experience the deficiencies of managers' orders and find existing problems in corporations (Benevene, 2020;Breevaart et al, 2020). However, many employees choose to keep silent and do not give feedback on the problems they find due to various factors (Morrison and Milliken, 2000;Whiteside and Barclay, 2013;Prouska and Psychogios, 2018).…”