Showing papers on "Job security published in 2008"

Employability and Employees’ Well‐Being: Mediation by Job Insecurity

Abstract: The current study's aims are twofold: first, we investigate the relationship between employability and both work-related (engagement) and general (life satisfaction) well-being. Second, we study ho ...

Does Performance Pay Increase Job Satisfaction

Abstract: This paper investigates the influence of performance-related pay on several dimensions of job satisfaction. In cross-sectional estimates performance-related pay is associated with increased overall satisfaction, satisfaction with pay, satisfaction with job security and satisfaction with hours. It appears to be negatively associated with satisfaction with the work itself; yet, after accounting for worker fixed effects the positive associations remain and the negative association vanishes. These results appear robust to a variety of alternative specifications and support the notion that performance-related pay allows increased opportunities for worker optimization and does not generally demotivate workers or crowd out intrinsic motivation.

The new covenant of employability

Abstract: Purpose – Changing career patterns and the erosion of job security have led to a growing emphasis on employability as a basis for career and employment success. The written and psychological contracts between employer and employer have become more transactional and less relational, and loyalty is no longer a guarantee of ongoing employment. Individuals are thus expected to take primary responsibility for their own employability rather than relying on the organisation to direct and maintain their careers. The purpose of this paper is to identify and examine the assumptions underpinning the concept of employability and evaluate the extent to which employability has been adopted as a new covenant in the employment relationship.Design/methodology/approach – Through a review of relevant literature the paper discusses current research on careers and employability and examines the available evidence regarding its adoption as a basis for contemporary employment relationships.Findings – The paper finds that the tr...

Why Does Unemployment Hurt the Employed? Evidence from the Life Satisfaction Gap between the Public and Private Sectors

Abstract: High rates of unemployment entail substantial costs to the working population in terms of reduced subjective well-being. This paper studies the importance of individual economic security, in particular, job security, in workers' well-being by exploiting sector-specific institutional differences in the exposure to economic shocks. Public servants have stricter dismissal protection and face a lower risk of their organization's bankruptcy than do private sector employees. The empirical results for individual panel data for Germany and repeated cross-sectional data for the United States and the European Union show that the sensitivity of subjective well-being to fluctuations in unemployment rates is much lower in the public sector than in the private. This suggests that increased economic insecurity constitutes an important welfare loss associated with high general unemployment.

Jobs as Lancaster Goods: Facets of Job Satisfaction and Overall Job Satisfaction

Abstract: Overall job satisfaction is likely to reflect the combination of partial satisfactions related to various features of one's job, such as pay, security, the work itself, working conditions, working hours, and the like. The level of overall job satisfaction emerges as the weighted outcome of the individual's job satisfaction with each of these facets. The purpose of this study is to determine the extent and importance of partial satisfactions in affecting and explaining overall job satisfaction. Using the European Community Household Panel (ECHP) a two layer model is estimated which proposes that job satisfaction with different facets of jobs are interrelated and the individual's reported overall job satisfaction depends on the weight that the individual allocates to each of these facets. For each of the 10 countries examined, satisfaction with the type of the job is the main criterion by which workers evaluate their job for both the short and the long term.

Workplace Innovations and Employee Outcomes: Evidence from Finland

Abstract: In the recent literature on workplace innovations, two competing views stand out. One strand of literature emphasizes positive outcomes for employees in the form of increased discretion, improved job security, and enhanced job satisfaction. In turn, critics argue that workplace innovations lead to increased job intensity and mental strain, and compromise job security. We address these issues by using a representative data set on individual employees from Finland. Our results indicate that workplace innovations are mainly associated with beneficial outcomes for employees. They are consistent with the view that institutional features of the Finnish labor market may mediate the outcomes.

Job Insecurity and the Timing of Parenthood: A Comparison between Eastern and Western Germany: Perceptions de l'instabilité de l'emploi et projet d'enfant: Une comparaison entre Allemagne de l'est et allemagne de l'ouest.

Abstract: This article contributes to the ongoing debate on the economic determinants of fertility behavior by addressing the role of job insecurity in couples’ intentions concerning parenthood and its timing. It starts from the hypothesis that cultural values moderate individuals’ reactions to job insecurity and the way it is related to family formation. With a systematic thematic content analysis of a set of semi-structured interviews with childless men and women around the age of 30 in eastern and western Germany, we are able to show that there are substantial differences in the consequences of job insecurity on intentions to have a first child. In western Germany, a relatively secure job career is expected to precede family formation, and this sequence of transitions is rather rigid, whereas in eastern Germany job security and family formation are thought of and practiced as parallel investments. We suggest that the lack of convergence in family formation patterns between eastern and western Germany after the unification of the country in 1990 is partially related to different attitudes toward job insecurity in the two contexts.

Corruption in the Post-Soviet Workplace: The Experiences of Recent Graduates in Contemporary Ukraine

Abstract: While Ukraine was bestowed market economy status by the European Union in 2005 its labour market still endures many structural problems. By exploring the experiences of young graduate employees this article highlights the difficultly in obtaining work within Ukraine’s labour market and the problems they face once they have secured employment. Rather than seeing the development of a transparent labour market the collapse of the command economy has seen a relatively closed system develop. The article demonstrates how many jobs are secured through the use of connections or the demanding, and payment, of bribes.The situation does not improve once graduates obtain long-term employment. Interviewees discuss the lack of job security, the informal payment of wages and the lack of legal protection from corrupt employer practices. The article has broader resonance outside of the Ukrainian case study as the discussion of work- place corruption highlights how the issue is concerned with much more than simply cash based transactions and how those that endure it are likely to turn to the informal economy for employment.

The effect of human resource practices on organizational performance: evidence from Greece

Abstract: The present study addresses a central research question: how do human resource management practices contribute to organizational performance? We examined the following HR practices: (1) job security; (2) selective hiring; (3) self-managed teams and decentralization of decision making; (4) compensation policy; (5) extensive training; and (6) information sharing. We surveyed food managers in Greece and recorded their perceptions on HR practices and their relation to firm performance. Results provide overall support for all HR practices except of job security. Selective hiring was found to be a key practice that improved organizational performance. Compensation policy, information sharing, decentralization of decision making and extensive training were significant predictors for all performance variables. Directions for further research are provided.

Corruption in the post-Soviet workplace: the experiences of recent graduates in contemporary Ukraine

Abstract: While Ukraine was bestowed market economy status by the European Union in 2005 its labour market still endures many structural problems. By exploring the experiences of young graduate employees this article highlights the difficultly in obtaining work within Ukraine's labour market and the problems they face once they have secured employment. Rather than seeing the development of a transparent labour market the collapse of the command economy has seen a relatively closed system develop. The article demonstrates how many jobs are secured through the use of connections or the demanding, and payment, of bribes.The situation does not improve once graduates obtain long-term employment. Interviewees discuss the lack of job security, the informal payment of wages and the lack of legal protection from corrupt employer practices. The article has broader resonance outside of the Ukrainian case study as the discussion of workplace corruption highlights how the issue is concerned with much more than simply cash based transactions and how those that endure it are likely to turn to the informal economy for employment.

Creating a Bigger Pie? The Effects of Employee Ownership, Profit Sharing, and Stock Options on Workplace Performance

Abstract: This paper uses data from NBER surveys of over 40,000 employees in hundreds of facilities in 14 firms and from employees on the 2002 and 2006 General Social Surveys to explore how shared compensation affects turnover, absenteeism, loyalty, worker effort, and other outcomes affecting workplace performance. The empirical analysis shows that shared capitalism has beneficial effects on all outcomes save for absenteeism and that it has its strongest effects on turnover, loyalty, and worker effort when it is combined with: a) high-performance work policies (employee involvement, training, and job security), b) low levels of supervision, and c) fixed wages that are at or above market level. Most workers report that cash incentives, stock options, ESOP stock, and ESPP participation motivate them to work harder. The interaction of the effects of shared capitalism with other corporate policies suggests that the various shared capitalist and other policies may operate through a latent variable, "corporate culture".(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

An examination of human resource management practices in Iranian public sector

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze HRM practices in Iran in view of underlying cultural, political and economic factors.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is organized in three major parts. The first part deals with HRM concept and Iranian social context. The second part presents methodology and data analysis. The third part discusses results and illustrates HRM practices in Iranian organizations. The study involves in‐depth interviews with four Iranian managers and data collected from 82 respondents through Likert‐type questionnaires (n=82, rate of response=44 per cent).Findings – The findings in the paper shed light on the main HRM functions in the Iranian public sector. Staffing is marked by pervasiveness of networking, entitlement, compliance with Islamic/revolutionary criteria and high job security. Compensation is described by features such as fixed pay, ascription/seniority‐based reward, and hierarchical pay structure. Training and development programs are found to be unplanned ...

The effect of FDI on job security

Abstract: Novel linked employer-employee data for multinational enterprises and their global workforces show that multinational enterprises that expand abroad retain more domestic jobs than competitors without foreign expansions. Propensity-score estimation demonstrates that the foreign expansion itself is a dominant explanatory factor for reduced worker separation rates. Bounding, concomitant variable tests, and further robustness checks show competing hypotheses to be less plausible. The finding is consistent with the hypothesis that, given global wage differences, a prevention of enterprises from outward FDI would lead to more domestic job losses. FDI raises domestic-worker retention more pronouncedly among highly educated workers.

Shared Capitalism in the U.S. Economy? Prevalence, Characteristics, and Employee Views of Financial Participation in Enterprises

Abstract: Between one-third and one-half of employees participate directly in company performance through profit sharing, gainsharing, employee ownership, or stock options. This flies in the face of concerns about the free rider problem and worker risk aversion in group incentives, and raises many questions about the effects on firms and workers. This paper lays out the major reasons we may see such "shared capitalism" plans, and reviews recent nationally representative surveys on the prevalence of these plans. We also introduce the NBER shared capitalism data, based on questions added to the 2002 and 2006 General Social Surveys (GSS) and more than 40,000 employee surveys from 14 companies with different combinations of shared capitalism plans. We find that while shared capitalism exists broadly throughout the economy, it is more likely in larger establishments. The free rider effect may be countered by the use of other policies to create productive teamwork and a cooperative culture: shared capitalism is positively linked to workplace decision-making, training, job security, teamwork, the ability to easily observe co-worker performance, and low levels of supervision. Also, more risk-averse employees avoid participating in several types of shared capitalism, but two-thirds of even the most risk-averse employees in these companies say they want shared capitalism as part of their pay package. The effects of these plans for both workers and firms are more fully explored in accompanying papers.

Why Are Students Not Majoring in Information Systems

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION Recently, there has been much discussion in the popular and business press regarding the demise of the American technology worker (Engardio, et al., 2003), particularly workers in the information technology profession (Baker and Kripalani, 2004). After the boom times of the late 1990s, the job market for IT workers eroded during the economic recession of the early 21st Century. Economy related job loss in combination with the increase in IT outsourcing led some to proclaim the IT profession doomed to decline within the USA. Despite headline news articles, the overall job market for IS professionals has remained relatively strong, and, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projections, remains one of the major occupational growth areas for the next decade (Hecker, 2005). Indeed, these BLS projections suggest almost half (five of the top twelve) of the fastest growing occupations will be in high-paying IT related occupations, and that overall computing related occupations most important issue according to CIOs and other top ranking IT managers (Luftman, et al., 2006). Skilled IT professionals are central to technology enabled productivity improvements that have historically driven U.S. economic prosperity (Atkinson and McKay, 2007; Greenspan, 2000). With IT employment at an all time high, continued job growth expected, and enrollments in information technology related majors near an all time low, it is likely the USA will encounter a severe IT worker shortage that could negatively are growing "more than three times faster than the average for all occupations" (Hecker, 2005, p. 72). Yet, it is possible that new college students and their advisors have been swayed by the gloomy headlines, as enrollments have plunged in most college computer science and information systems programs (Chabrow, 2004). As reported in the CRA Bulletin (Vegso, 2006), according to the freshman survey data collected by the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), enrollments in computer science and related computing programs have fallen by 70% since peaking around the year 2000. Correspondingly, computing related enrollments are the lowest they've been since the late 1970's, a time period that pre-dates many computing related curriculums. The continued importance of the IT workforce issue is highlighted by ongoing studies of top IT management concerns. In a recent study of "Key Issues for IT Executives," the concern about "attracting, developing, and retaining IT professionals" has again been ranked as the 2nd impact the national economy. Some have referred to this pending talent shortage as a national crisis, while others merely refer to the pending shortage as "a major challenge to remaining competitive" (Mitchell, 2006 ). Consequently, it is in the nation's best interest to better understand the phenomenon of degree major selection by students attending our institutions of higher learning. (Note: while this study focuses on the USA, similar enrollment concerns have been noted in Australia, Canada, South Africa, and Western European countries.) Historically, enrollment trends in different areas of study oscillate and interest in differing college of business degree programs fluctuate. Currently, enrollments in information systems related degrees are very low. Similarly, in the late 1990s, enrollment in accounting degree programs was down. Consequently, there is now an insufficient supply of properly schooled accounting graduates and that labor market is very tight. Fortunately for the accounting profession, accounting programs are now drawing large numbers of students to that discipline. Nonetheless, it would be helpful to attract students to a discipline before a labor shortage becomes obvious. While student career choice patterns are likely to vary over time, it would be beneficial to both the students and society if we can ensure that new entrants are making informed choices about life-influencing career and degree decisions. …

Understanding the motivation: a qualitative study of dental students' choice of professional career.

Abstract: Background: Given the changing nature of the dental workforce, and the need to retain the services of future members, it is important to understand why current dental students perceive that they were motivated to study dentistry. Qualitative research provides the opportunity to explore the underlying issues in addition to informing subsequent quantitative research. The objectives of this research were to investigate final-year dental students’ motivation for studying dentistry and how they perceive this has been modified during their undergraduate degree programme. Methods: Purposive sampling of a representative group of 35 final-year dental students at King’s College London Dental Institute to participate in audio-taped focus groups. Qualitative data were analysed using Framework Methodology. Results: The findings suggest a strong emphasis on having a career, providing ‘professional status’, ‘financial benefits’, ‘job security, flexibility and independence’ and ‘good quality of life’. Students reported being attracted by features of the job, supported to a greater or lesser extent by personal experience, family and friends. It appears however that students’ initial motivation is being tempered by their experiences during their undergraduate degree programme, in particular, the ‘responsibilities of an intensive professional education’, their ‘mounting student debt’ and the perception of ‘feeling undervalued’. This perception related to dentistry in general and National Health Service dentistry in particular, being undervalued, by government, patients, the public and members of the dental profession. Conclusions: Students’ vision of a ‘contained professional career’ within health care, providing status and financial benefits, appears to have influenced their choice of dentistry. Pressures relating to student life and policy changes are perceived as impacting on key components of professional life, particularly status in the social and economic order. The implications for educators, professional leaders and policy makers are explored.

The Environment for Women's Entrepreneurship in the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract: This report is about how women entrepreneurs can contribute more to the quality and direction of economic and social development in the Middle East and North Africa region. Economic growth in the Middle East has been remarkable over the last four years, due mainly to higher oil prices. Rapid job growth has followed, driven mainly by the private sector. Yet the region still faces two important challenges: the first is to create better jobs for an increasingly educated young workforce; the second is to diversify its economies away from the traditional sectors of agriculture, natural resources, construction, and public works and into sectors that can provide more and better jobs for young people-sectors that are more export oriented, labor intensive, and knowledge driven. That can be achieved only by more innovative and diverse investors. In this, the private sector must play an even bigger role than in the past.

Lean Production and Labor Controls in the Chinese Automobile Industry in An Age of Globalization

Abstract: This article explores the changing workplace and labor-management relations in the Chinese automobile industry under the influence of globalization and China's market reform. It depicts the everyday working lives of Chinese autoworkers and the shop-floor dynamics of labor relations based on the author's intensive fieldwork at the seven major automobile assembly enterprises in China during 2004–2007.The main findings of this paper are that, in spite of the generalized lean production and homogenization of workplace experiences of Chinese autoworkers, two different models of labor controls have emerged in the Chinese auto industry: “lean-and-dual” and “lean-and-mean.” On the one hand, under the lean-and-dual regime, management adopts labor force dualism by using both formal contract workers and agency workers on production lines side by side, which leads to a “hybrid” factory regime that combines both “hegemonic” and “despotic” elements. Hegemonic relations have been established between management and formal workers based on high wages, generous benefits, better working conditions, and relatively secure employment for formal workers, while “despotic” labor control characterizes the conditions for temporary agency workers with lower wages and insecure employment.On the other hand, the lean-and-mean type of auto firms adopt a high-wage, high-turnover strategy of lean production without the promise of job security to their entire workforce. The interventionist roles of the Chinese central and local states in regulating labor relations and the roles of managerial staff, factory unions, and factory party committees in building hegemonic consent among workers in the auto industry are also explored. The paper concludes by discussing the potentials and limits of Chinese autoworkers and the likely roles they are to play in the evolution of labor relations under China's current market transition and globalization.

Job loss, retirement and the mental health of older Americans.

Abstract: Background: Millions of older individuals cope with physical limitations, cognitive changes, and various losses such as bereavement that are commonly associated with aging. Given increased vulnerability to various health problems during aging, work displacement might exacerbate these due to additional distress and to possible changes in medical coverage. Older Americans are of increasing interest to researchers and policymakers due to the sheer size of the Baby Boom cohort, which is approaching retirement age, and due to the general decline in job security in the U.S. labor market. Aims of the Study: This research compares and contrasts the effect of involuntary job loss and retirement on the mental health of older Americans. Furthermore, it examines the impact of re-employment on the depressive symptoms. Methods: There are two fundamental empirical challenges in isolating the effect of employment status on mental health. The first is to control for unobserved heterogeneity - all latent factors that could impact mental health so as to establish the correct magnitude of the effect of employment status. The second challenge is to verify the direction of causality. First difference models are used to control for latent effects and a two-stage least squares regression is used to account for reverse causality. Results: We find that involuntary job loss worsens mental health, and re-employment recaptures the past mental health status. Retirement is found to improve mental health of older Americans. Discussion: With the use of longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study surveys and the adoption of proper measures to control for the possibility of reverse causality, this study provides strong evidence of elevating depressive symptoms with involuntary job displacement even after controlling for other late-life events. Women suffer from greater distress levels than men after job loss due to business closure or lay-off. However, women also exhibit better psychological well-being than men following retirement. The present study is the first to report that the re-employment of involuntary job-loss sufferers leads to a recapturing of past mental health status. Additionally, we find that re-entering the labor force is psychologically beneficial to retirees as well. Implications for Health Care Provision: It is well established that out-of-pocket expenditures on all forms of health care for seniors with self-diagnosed depression significantly exceeds expenditures for seniors with other common ailments such as hypertension and arthritis in the U.S. Thus, our research suggests that re-employment of older Americans displaced from the labor force will be costeffective with regard to personal mental health outcomes. Implications for Health Policies: That re-employment of involuntary job loss sufferers leads to a recapturing of past mental health status illuminates one potential policy trade off - increased resources dedicated to job training and placement for older U.S. workers could reap benefits with regard to reduced private and public mental health expenditures. Implications for Further Research: Further research could more clearly assess the degree to which the mental health benefits of employment among older Americans would warrant the expansion of job training and employment programs aimed at this group.

Job quality and temporary agency work: Challenges for human resource management in triangular employment relations in Germany

Abstract: One of the most notable trends in the past decade has been the growth of temporary agency work. With growth rates significantly higher than standard employment, temporary agency work has attracted both public and academic attention, much of it contradictory. While some authors have argued that the flexibility of triangular employment relations allows employers to reduce labour and hiring and training costs, other researchers see agency jobs associated with low wages, minimal benefits, negligible job security, little training and no job prospects. This article intends to advance the debate on this topic by exploring the question as to whether and to what degree and areas the quality of jobs in the temporary work industry is different from regular positions. The focus is on the situation in Germany. Second, it will analyse what options are available for Human Resource Management to enhance job quality and make agency work a more attractive choice for employees. In the final step propositions for further res...

Update on National University Stress Study

Abstract: In 2003/4, 13 Australian universities took part in a follow-up survey of occupational stress following an earlier one conducted in 2000. More than 6000 staff participated at each time, of whom 969 (stayers) participated at both times. This paper presents the cross-sectional data obtained on both occasions as well as the longitudinal data provided by the stayers. Overall, the cross-sectional data from all participants showed some encouraging improvements. For example, there were increases in organisational commitment, job involvement, job autonomy, procedural fairness, and trust in senior management, as well as decreases in work pressure and job insecurity. However, there were also increases in psychological strain and work-home conflict. Longitudinal results from the stayers showed a similar pattern. These participants also showed increases in job involvement, job autonomy, belief in procedural fairness, and trust in senior management, and a decrease in job insecurity, together with increased work-home conflict and increased psychological strain. However, they did not show improvements in organisational commitment or work pressure, and also reported reduced job satisfaction. Attrition analyses revealed some Time 1 differences between the stayers and dropouts that might explain the discrepant findings. Neither the cross-sectional nor longitudinal changes were uniform across all universities, or all categories of staff. The improvements were more marked for general than for academic staff, and for female than for male staff. Regression analyses found that the best predictors of organisational commitment were job satisfaction and trust in senior management; the best predictors of trust in senior management were procedural fairness and organisational commitment; and the best predictor of job satisfaction was procedural fairness. Interestingly, the only significant predictor of psychological strain was neuroticism. The next stage of the research is to try to find out what interventions were introduced at each university and to link them to the observed improvements. A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S R E V I E W

Job satisfaction and motivation among physicians in academic medical centers: insights from a cross-national study.

Abstract: Our study assesses how work-related monetary and nonmonetary factors affect physicians' job satisfaction at three academic medical centers in Germany and the United States, two countries whose differing health care systems experience similar problems in maintaining their physician workforce. We used descriptive statistics and factor and correlation analyses to evaluate physicians' responses to a self-administered questionnaire. Our study revealed that German physician respondents were less satisfied overall than their U.S. counterparts. In both countries, participation in decision making that may affect physicians' work was an important correlate of satisfaction. In Germany other important factors were opportunities for continuing education, job security, extent of administrative work, collegial relationships, and access to specialized technology. In the U.S. sample, job security, financial incentives, interaction with colleagues, and cooperative working relationships with colleagues and management were important predictors of overall job satisfaction. The implications of these findings for the development of policies and management tactics to increase physician job satisfaction in German and U.S. academic medical centers are discussed.

Job Satisfaction of Women in Construction Trades

Abstract: Existing research on women in construction focuses on engineers and entrepreneurs, yet little to no attention has been given to women in trades. Thus, the aim of this research is to review the literature on tradeswomen and to conduct a localized study to determine if demographic variables affect satisfaction with work, pay, opportunities, supervision, and people on the job for tradeswomen. These variables include age, education, number of dependents, number of trade years, duration of work, and frequency of work outside of the local area. Thirty-nine tradeswomen from the Cincinnati area were surveyed to assess their satisfaction or dissatisfaction with construction work. Currently, the literature review indicates that research on tradeswomen is limited and largely restricted to identifying measures that can attract and retain women in construction trades. Studies on motivation and job satisfaction of construction workers neither identify nor compare perceptions of tradeswomen about their work. Results of this exploratory study showed that pay, benefits, and job security are most important to women in their occupation. Although tradeswomen appear to be satisfied with the nature of work in construction trades, this is not the case in terms of pay, benefits, and job security. Demographic variables did not affect the level of job satisfaction for women in construction trades. Research on tradeswomen is essential and important as the industry tries to change its image and encourage diversity in order to mitigate labor shortage.

Mindfulness as a Coping Mechanism for Employment Uncertainty

Abstract: Mindfulness-based stress interventions are well suited to reduce the anxiety of clients living with employment uncertainty. With the advent of globalization, increased job flux, and at-will employment policies, feelings of insecurity are becoming more prevalent, contributing to work-related stress (D. L. Blustein, 2006), which in turn is associated with lowered job satisfaction, elevated turnover intentions, and increased cardiovascular risk (C. D. Spielberger, P. R. Vagg, & C. F. Wasala, 2003). Mindfulness, an intentional consciousness learned through meditation, can reduce psychological suffering by reducing the anticipation anxiety experienced by employed workers who face a high degree of employment uncertainty. A growing concern for clients seeking career counseling is that the world of work is changing dramatically and rapidly, resulting in elevated levels of anxiety and employment uncertainty. Indeed, one of the major themes in the September 2003 special issue of The Career Development Quarterly (Savickas, 2003b), in which several notable scholars and practitioners stated their goals for the counseling profession, included significant concerns about the changing nature of work, the need for thoughtful integration of mental health concerns with career counseling, and the growing demand for preventive interventions (Herr, 2003; Savickas, 2003a). To that end, this article integrates these aspirations with an increasingly visible topic of research and practice in the mental health field, mindfulness-based stress reduction (Kabat-Zinn, 1996). We propose that mindfulness can provide an effective means for workers dealing with uncertain employment conditions to cope with the anticipation stress associated with employment in an increasingly ambiguous work environment. By supporting clients through mindfulness-based coping skills, career counselors can help clients remove a key contributor to their overall stress; therefore, clients are able to make calmer and perhaps more informed decisions for themselves, create a sense of agency about their situations, and operate in a more centered mode of functioning. Although other stress-reduction techniques have been used in various aspects of career counseling and work-based prevention programs (e.g., Murphy, 1996; Quillian-Wolever & Wolever, 2003), regular meditation practice and the accompanying mindfulness philosophy seems particularly well suited to help clients manage uncertainty beyond the boundaries of the actual intervention (Quillian-Wolever 8c Wolever, 2003). Employment Uncertainty Because of increasing globalization, industrial restructuring, rapid technological development, and the resulting flexible staffing arrangements, workers no longer have the security of guaranteed long-term employment (Blustein, 2006; Howard, 1995). Today's work environment contributes to feelings of insecurity, resulting in work-related stress (Blustein, 2006), which in turn is associated with lowered job satisfaction, elevated turnover intentions, and increased cardiovascular risk to the worker (Spielberger, Vagg, & Wasala, 2003). Although work stress has many antecedents (cf. Spielberger et al., 2003), the revolution in the labor market has the potential to enhance stress levels for individuals, who already face considerable psychological challenges in their work fives. Work stress is an overarching term that encompasses many different themes, ranging from issues of interpersonal and role demands, to workplace policies, job conditions, and role and job ambiguity (Spielberger et al., 2003). In this article, we concentrate on employment uncertainty, a consequence of job insecurity, which can be especially stressful to workers across the full range of skills and occupations (Sverke & Hellgren, 2002). Job insecurity, defined as "employees' negative reactions to the changes concerning their jobs" (Sverke & Hellgren, 2002, p. 26), has been linked to problems affecting both the individual and the organization, such as physical and mental health problems, family problems, and reduced levels of job satisfaction. …

Confronting Career Double Binds Implications for Women, Organizations, and Career Practitioners

Abstract: Over the past decade, practitioners and scholars have struggled to explain women's career choices. The current language, including “opting out,” “on and off ramping,” and “mommy track,” is not only inadequate but assumes a deviation from an accepted norm. We challenge the relevance of the paradigm against which women are being judged, namely, the psychological contract that exchanged lifelong employment for “work is primary” commitment. Given organizations' evolving need for agility, organizations no longer offer job security. We propose that, in response, women are rejecting the outdated career model based on stable employment and instead are enacting an updated “we are selfemployed” model. Being at the leading edge of career self-agency, women face a double bind that is exacerbated by persistent socialized gendered schemas. We explore the shift in career paradigms, what organizations and women have done to date, and the implications in addressing the double bind going forward.

Changes in HRM and job satisfaction, 1998–2004: evidence from the Workplace Employment Relations Survey

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between human resource management practices and job satisfaction, drawing on data from the 1998 and 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Surveys. The paper finds significant increases in satisfaction with the sense of achievement from work between 1998 and 2004; a number of other measures of job quality are found to have increased over this period as well. It also finds a decline in the incidence of many formal human resource management practices. The paper reports a weak association between formal human resource management practices and satisfaction with sense of achievement. Improvements in perceptions of job security, the climate of employment relations and managerial responsiveness are the most important factors in explaining the rise in satisfaction with sense of achievement between 1998 and 2004. We infer that the rise in satisfaction with sense of achievement is due in large part to the existence of falling unemployment during the period under study, which has driven employers to make improvements in the quality of work.

Job-Related Training and Benefits for Individuals: A Review of Evidence and Explanations. OECD Education Working Papers, No. 19.

Abstract: This paper reviews the literature on job-related training and the effects of these investments for different groups of individuals. The paper also elaborates on the theories, empirical explanations, and policy implications that can be drawn from these findings. Employer-provided training is by far the most important source of further education and training after an individual enters the labour market. A substantial portion of these human capital investments are financed by firms and it appears that the contribution by individuals are in most circumstances relatively modest. At the same time, substantial gains for individuals participating in training are documented in a large number of studies. The benefits are not only confined to wage returns as research has also shown that training leads to increased internal employability and job-security; and external labour market effects such as higher labour participation rates, lower unemployment, and shorter unemployment periods. Training is not equally distributed among employees. Older, low skilled workers, and to some extent female workers typically receive less training than other groups of employees. However, we do not find any clear-cut evidence that returns to training varies with gender, educational or skills levels, which suggests that inequalities do not arise because of differences in returns to training, but are more a consequence of inequalities of the distribution of training investments. The findings of this review further suggest that the returns to training are higher in the case that it is financed by the employer and that the returns to training are substantially higher for those leaving for a new employer. Employer-financed training appears, however, to lower the probability of an individual leaving for a new job elsewhere. The analysis of the distribution of returns to training reveals that although individuals benefit from these investments, the employer reaps most of the returns to training which suggests that the productivity effects are substantially larger than wage effects.