Job insecurity and employee health: The buffering potential of job control and job self-efficacy

Abstract

This study examines the direct and moderating effects of two types of control that employees have over the work situation – job control and job self-efficacy – on the relationship between job insecurity and employee health. The authors hypothesize that job control and job self-efficacy attenuate the negative effects of job insecurity on both a short-term (i.e. need for recovery) and a long-term health outcome (i.e. impaired general health). These hypotheses were examined using survey data collected from a heterogeneous sample of 1368 Belgian workers. Results of moderated regression analysis showed that job control, but not job self-efficacy, buffered the negative effects of job insecurity on employee health. We conclude that organizations can temper the negative health effects of job insecurity by giving their employees more control over their work.

Keywords:

• job demands
• insecurity
• self-efficacy
• autonomy
• work stress
• work motivation
• recovery
• control

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Mark Corner for his assistance in proofreading a previous version of this manuscript.