Coping with job insecurity: exploring effects on perceived health and organizational attitudes

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of the present paper is to investigate how employees’ coping (problem, emotion and avoidance focused coping) may affect the reactions to job insecurity. Because the coping investigated in the present study addresses the stressor in different ways, the authors expect different moderating effects depending on the type of coping, which results in three different hypotheses. Design/methodology/approach – A sample of 579 Swedish accountants was used to test these hypotheses via surveys. Findings – The findings support the authors’ assumptions that emotion focused coping weakened the relation of job insecurity and some of the outcomes. Both avoidance and problem focused coping strengthened the relation between job insecurity and some of the outcomes. Research limitations/implications – As this study utilizes cross-sectional data and only one occupational group, it is important to test the relations using longitudinal data with different occupational groups in future research. Practical implications – From these results some practical conclusions can be drawn as to which coping forms might be more beneficial, which can be helpful for organizations in order to develop intervention programs. Originality/value – This study expanded the understanding of coping in the context of job insecurity by testing different forms of coping and including a variety of important outcomes of job insecurity