Emotional risk work during the pandemic: Healthcare professionals' perceptions from a COVID-19 ward

In March 2020, COVID-19 wards were established in hospitals in Denmark. Healthcare professionals from a variety of specialities and wards were transferred to these new wards to care for patients admitted with severe COVID-19 infections. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in a COVID-19 ward at a hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, including focus group interviews with nursing staff, we intended to explore practices in a COVID-19 ward by seeking insight into the relation between the work carried out and the professionals' ways of talking about it. We used a performative approach of studying how the institutional ways of handling pandemic risk work comes into being and relates to the health professionals' emerging responses. The empirical analysis pointed at emotional responses by the nursing staff providing COVID-19 care as central. To explore these emotional responses we draw on the work of Mary Douglas and Deborah Lupton's concept of the ‘emotion-risk-assemblage'. Our analysis provides insight into how emotions are contextually produced and linked to institutional risk understandings. We show that work in the COVID-19 ward was based on an institutional order that was disrupted during the pandemic, producing significant emotions of insecurity. Although these emotions are structurally produced, they are simultaneously internalised as feelings of incompetence and shame.

Social insecurity and varieties of family resilience strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThis study is aimed at developing an understanding of the consequences of the pandemic on families' socioeconomic resilience, and the strategies adopted by the families in overcoming social vulnerabilities amid uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThe materials for this study consist of semi-structured interviews with 21 families spread across the South Sumatra Province, Indonesia. Families in the study represent four different income levels, namely very high, high, middle and low, and who also work in the informal sector. Each family has at least 1 or more members who fall into the vulnerable category (children, the elderly, people with disabilities unemployed or having potential economic vulnerability).FindingsTwo main findings are outlined. Regardless of their socioeconomic status, many of the families analyzed adopted similar strategies to remain resilient. Among the strategies are classifying the urgency of purchasing consumer goods based on financial capacity rather than needs, leveraging digital economic opportunities as alternative sources of income, utilizing more extensive informal networks and going into debt. Another interesting finding shows that the pandemic, to some extent, has saved poor families from social insecurity. This is supported by evidence showing that social distancing measures during the pandemic have reduced the intensity of sociocultural activities, which require invited community members to contribute financially. The reduction of sociocultural activities in the community has provided more potential savings for the poor.Research limitations/implicationsIn this study, informants who provided information about their family conditions represent a major segment of the workforce and tend to be technologically savvy and younger, due to the use of Zoom as a platform for conducting interviews. Therefore, there may be a bias in the results. Another limitation is that since the interviewees were recommended by our social network in the fields, there is a risk of a distorted selection of participants.Originality/valueThis study offers insights that are critical in helping to analyze family patterns in developing countries in mitigating the risks and uncertainties caused by COVID-19. In addition, the literature on social policy and development could benefit from further research on COVID-19 as an alternative driver to identify mechanisms that could bring about change that would result in "security.” Critical questions and limitations of this study are presented at the end of the paper to be responded to as future research agenda.

Older workers' work attitudes and behaviors during COVID-19 pandemic: A mediational model

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about employment uncertainty and various unique stressors for workers, underlining the critical need to understand the implications of the pandemic on workers. Prior research documented the adverse effects of job insecurity and job demands on the well-being, work attitudes, and behavioral outcomes of workers;however, less is known about the effects of these factors on older workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, we surveyed 330 workers over the age of 55 in a U.S. Midwestern state. Results of partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis showed that the COVID-19-related stressors (i.e., job insecurity, job demands) are related to lower work engagement, increased turnover intent, and presenteeism behavior. The practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Informational Justice, Organizational Communication, and Job Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic

The early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic were a time of great job insecurity. Knowledge of how such feelings of insecurity were mitigated during a time of crisis has important implications for the development of future interventions. Drawing from uncertainty management theory (UMT), we explored the impact of informational justice perceptions on the effects of job insecurity in a sample collected during the early stages of the pandemic (March-May 2020). The findings indicated that informational justice buffered the impacts of job insecurity on employee life satisfaction and perceived ability to perform. Furthermore, the source of information regarding COVID-19-related job changes mattered for predicting informational justice perceptions. Our findings bolster UMT and have important practical implications for future times of crisis.

Job insecurity and survivor workplace behavior following COVID-19 layoff

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the impact of job insecurity (JI) on employee work performance (WP) and service innovation behavior (SIB). It further examines the mediating role of affective commitment (AC) and the moderating role of organizational cynicism and financial job dependence (FJD). Design/methodology/approachBy using a three-wave approach, the hypotheses were tested by collecting data from 473 full-time employees and their supervisors in the Thai hotel industry. FindingsThe results demonstrated that JI negatively affected WP and SIB. AC mediated these relationships. FJD moderated these relationships such that at high levels of job dependence, the negative relationships were weaker. Research limitations/implicationsHuman resource managers may reduce the negative effects of JI by creating a supportive and caring work environment through open communication. They may communicate openly with employees about the challenges the organization is facing, and involve them in planning, decision-making and implementation to mitigate the negative effects of JI. They may also provide training and development opportunities to help employees build their skills and increase their value to the organization. Originality/valueResearch on the behavioral consequences of JI is scant in the hospitality sector. Drawing on job-demand resource theory, this study attempts to fill this gap.

Employment and wages in the most popular tourist destinations in Mexico, 2005-2019

In Mexico, the tourism sector constitutes the nucleus of economic activity in different regions;in 2019, an occupancy rate of 7.7% was registered with respect to the total of the Economically Active Population (EAP). In the states of Quintana Roo, Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Guerrero;occupancy percentages of between 10% and 20% are recorded with respect to its total PEA. The present work is part of a study referring to the spatial analysis of employment in the tourism sector, in this sense, the structure and recent dynamics of employment in the accommodation services and food and beverage preparation of the main tourist centers of Mexico. Based on the National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) from 2005 to 2019, the 2019 Economic Census and per capita labor income deflated with the value of the food basket, an approximation was made to the current situation and trends in conditions to which the workers inserted in this activity face. The records showed evidence of a drop in the income level of the population, with effects on formal employment, feminization of the sector and polarization of tourist regions. Showing statistical evidence to affirm that the states of Baja California Sur and Quintana Roo have the highest levels of average monthly per capita labor income, compared to the states of Nayarit and Guerrero. This highlights the great asymmetries of the federal government and state governments in the diffusion, investment and tourism promotion of the different destinations, providing evidence to the current debate on the precariousness and abandonment in which the employees and providers of tourist services have been immersed in Mexico from the health contingency caused by COVID-19.

Job Insecurity, Employability and Financial Threat during COVID-19

COVID-19 has resulted not only in widespread illness and death, it has also upended most spheres of social life including the economic/financial one in that it has had large impacts on local economies, resulting in widespread job loss, job insecurity and loss of income. Employability, a psychological construct, refers to the belief that one can get a (another) job in the event of job loss, and financial threat refers to feelings of threat and anxiety associated with one's finances. During the pandemic, many people experienced job loss due mainly to business closures. The present study examined the relationship between employability, job insecurity due to COVID-19, and financial threat in a Canadian (n= 487) and U.S. (n=481) sample of adults recruited on MTurk early on in the pandemic (April 2020). Participants in the Canadian sample, compared to their American counterparts, were less likely to be employed full-time, 37% vs. 67%, respectively, were more likely to be unemployed, 40% vs. 13%, respectively, and had lower self-reported socio-economic status. A theoretical model was put forward in which employability was associated with less job insecurity and this was related to less financial threat. Results revealed that financial self-efficacy was associated with greater employability, less job insecurity and less financial threat in both samples. Further, feelings that one had enough income to "get by" since the advent of COVID-19, were positively related to employability in both samples, but in the Canadian sample only, these feelings were also related to less job insecurity and less financial threat. Implications of the study's results are discussed within the economic climate resulting from the pandemic.

The mediating role of trait anxiety in the impact of digital competence perception on job insecurity: an application for hotel managers: MRN

PurposeThe main purpose of the study is to determine the mediating role of trait anxiety in the relationship between hotel managers' perceptions of digital competence in the Cappadocia Region and their perceptions of job insecurity.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, which is based on quantitative research, a cross-sectional design was used. The seven-item digital competence scale, four-item job insecurity scale and 20-item trait anxiety scale were used to measure the level of digital competence, job insecurity and trait anxiety of hotel managers. The convenience sampling method was used in the research, and 337 questionnaires were completed by senior and junior managers who agreed to participate in the research. To test the mediating role of trait anxiety, Andrew F. Hayes' views on the contemporary approach were taken as a basis.FindingsThe analysis results showed that digital competence had the opposite effect on job insecurity. Similarly, digital competence had the opposite effect on the level of trait anxiety. The level of trait anxiety affected the perception of job insecurity in a linear direction. As a result of the bootstrapping test, it was found that the indirect effect of trait anxiety on the relationship between digital competence and job insecurity was significant.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was unable to collect data from hotels that were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic due to restrictions. Therefore, one of the limitations of the study was that it did not reach the entire population. Another limitation of the study was that the questionnaires were addressed to hotel managers in the Cappadocia Region.Practical implicationsHotel managers' digital skills are considered to contribute to the tourism industry by organizing and determining business strategies, work processes and employee skills. In addition, when hiring hotel managers, it is essential to ensure that they have certain skills such as compatibility with the digital age, openness to innovation and the ability to adapt the employees working in their team to the age, which helps to improve the competitiveness of the hotel industry with the world and ensure the continuity of this situation.Originality/valueThe research addressed the variables of digital competence, job insecurity and trait anxiety and collected data from hotel managers in the Cappadocia Region using a survey technique. There were few studies that addressed these variables, and the mediating effect of trait anxiety was revealed based on the contemporary approach.

Take-off, turbulence and turnaround

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to explore the evolving nature of the work of cabin crew in a Scandinavian carrier in three eras, drawing on theories of gender and emotional labour.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on ethnographic data from fieldwork, interviews and documents.FindingsFrom being a feminized and temporary occupation for young, upper- and middle-class women in the 1970s, the occupation became a full-time job and with greater diversity of cabin crew. Today there are signs of the job becoming a precarious and temporary one of demanding and devalorized work in a polarized and class-divided labour market. Changing circumstances impact on the emotional labour requirement and terms and conditions at work.Research limitations/implicationsA limitation is that the research design was not initially longitudinal in the sense that the author does not have exactly the same kind of data from each era. The author has, however, been involved in this field for two decades, used multiple methods and interacted with different stakeholders and drew on a unique data material.Practical implicationsThe development in aviation is contributing to new discriminatory practices, driving employee conditions downwards and changing the job demands. This development will have practical consequences for the lives and families of cabin crew.Social implicationsThe analysis illustrates how work ‘constructs' workers and contributes in creating jobs that are not sustainable for the employees. Intensification of work, insecurity and tougher working conditions also challenge key features in the Nordic model such as proper pay, decent work and a life-long employment. Much indicates that the profession is again becoming a temporary one of demanding work with poor working conditions in a polarized and class-divided labour market.Originality/valueThe research contributes to the literature on emotional labour, gender and the evolving nature of the work of cabin crew. The unique data material, the longitudinal aspect of the research and the focus on a single network carrier are good in charting changes over time.

Furloughed Employees' Voluntary Turnover: The Role of Procedural Justice, Job Insecurity, and Job Embeddedness.

During the COVID-19 lockdown period, several employers used furloughs, that is, temporary layoffs or unpaid leave, to sustain their businesses and retain their employees. While furloughs allow employers to reduce payroll costs, they are challenging for employees and increase voluntary turnover. This study uses a two-wave model (Time 1: n = 639/Time 2: n = 379) and confirms that furloughed employees' perceived justice in furlough management and job insecurity (measured at Time 1) explain their decision to quit their employer (measured at Time 2). In addition, our results confirm that furloughed employees' job embeddedness (measured at Time 1) has a positive mediator effect on the relationship between their perceived procedural justice in furlough management (measured at Time 1) and their turnover decision (Time 2). We discuss the contribution of this study to the fields of knowledge and practice related to turnover and furlough management to reduce their financial, human, and social costs.

Subtle Cutback Management and Exhaustion: Qualitative Job Insecurity as a Mediator in a Sample of Dutch and Belgian Employees.

As an answer to crises such as COVID-19, organizations implemented more subtle forms of cutback measures such as wage moderation, loan sacrifice and recruitment freezes aimed at maintaining a financially healthy organization. In this study, the association between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion was studied, and it was investigated whether this potential linkage can be explained by employee perceptions of increased qualitative job insecurity or the fear that valued features of the job will decrease in the near future. This research thereby extends prior research on the consequences of cutback management as well as regarding the antecedents of qualitative job insecurity. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted on a sample of workers (N = 218) active in various organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium. Regression analysis was applied to test hypotheses. Mediation was investigated by means of Hayes PROCESS macro. The results of the study indicate that there is no direct relationship between subtle cutback measures deployed at the workplace and employee exhaustion. However, the analyses further reveal that subtle cutback management is positively related to the experience of qualitative job insecurity in workers and that enhanced qualitative job insecurity is positively related to employee exhaustion. Qualitative job insecurity fully mediates the relationship between subtle cutback management and employee exhaustion.

Behavioral Reactions to Job Insecurity Climate Perceptions: Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect.

Past work has extensively documented that job insecurity predicts various work- and health-related outcomes. However, limited research has focused on the potential consequences of perceived job insecurity climate. Our objective was to investigate how the psychological climate about losing a job and valuable job features (quantitative and qualitative job insecurity climate, respectively) relate to employees' exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect behaviors, and whether such climate perceptions explain additional variance in these behaviors over individual job insecurity. Data were collected through an online survey using a convenience sample of employees working in different organizations in Türkiye (N = 245). Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that quantitative job insecurity climate was associated with higher levels of loyalty and neglect, while qualitative job insecurity climate was related to higher levels of exit and lower levels of loyalty. Importantly, job insecurity climate explained additional variance over individual job insecurity in exit and loyalty. Our findings underscore the importance of addressing job insecurity in a broader context regarding one's situation and the psychological collective climate. This study contributes to addressing the knowledge gap concerning job insecurity climate, an emerging construct in the organizational behavior literature, and its incremental impact beyond individual job insecurity. The foremost implication is that organizations need to pay attention to the evolving climate perceptions about the future of jobs in the work environment, because such perceptions are related to critical employee behaviors.

The job insecurity of others: On the role of perceived national job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Political scientists and sociologists have highlighted insecure work as a societal ill underlying individuals' lack of social solidarity (i.e., concern about the welfare of disadvantaged others) and political disruption. In order to provide the psychological underpinnings connecting perceptions of job insecurity with societally-relevant attitudes and behaviors, in this article the authors introduce the idea of perceived national job insecurity. Perceived national job insecurity reflects a person's perception that job insecurity is more or less prevalent in their society (i.e., country). Across three countries (US, UK, Belgium), the study finds that higher perceptions of the prevalence of job insecurity in one's country is associated with greater perceptions of government psychological contract breach and poorer perceptions of the government's handling of the COVID-19 crisis, but at the same time is associated with greater social solidarity and compliance with COVID-19 social regulations. These findings are independent of individuals' perceptions of threats to their own jobs.

Effect of COVID-19-Induced Changes on Job Insecurity, Presenteeism, and Turnover Intention in the Workplace-An Investigation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder among Hotel Employees Using the GAD-7 Scale

In this study, we investigated COVID-19 ' s (coronavirus disease 2019's) effect on job insecurity, presenteeism, and turnover intention in hotel environments by measuring hotel staffs' generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) levels. We surveyed 351 hotel employees from the office, facilities, food and beverage, and cooking departments. Convenience sampling was performed from December 2021 to March 2022. Job insecurity was measured with seven items (easily annoyed, tension, anxiety, nervousness, a lot of worry, fear, uncontrollable worry, restlessness, and discomfort) and demonstrated a significantly positive effect on presenteeism and turnover intention in the high GAD-7 group compared with the low GAD-7 group. Our study contributes academic value to research on GAD-7 in the hotel industry. In addition, it provides a theoretical basis for the relationship between job insecurity and hotel employees' psychological response to the pandemic. Based on the findings, we recommend periodically implementing the GAD-7 scale for employee assessments. Consequently, hotel companies can create guidelines for human resource management post-COVID-19.

A Longitudinal Investigation of the Roles of Cognitive and Affective Job Insecurity Before and During the Pandemic

Background: While an increasing body of research has examined employees' job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, we know little about the role of cognitive and affective job insecurity in the pandemic context. Methods: We conducted a two-wave study on 211 service employees in South Korea to assess the indirect effect of their cognitive job insecurity that existed before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic on their job performance after the onset of the pandemic, via affective job insecurity. Results: Mediation analysis revealed that pre-COVID cognitive job insecurity significantly indirectly affected mid-COVID job performance through mid-COVID affective job insecurity. Further, we found this indirect effect significant only among female employees. Discussion: These findings underscore the long-term effects of cognitive job insecurity on job performance in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Job insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic and counterproductive work behavior: The sequential mediation effects of job stress and organizational identification and the buffering role of corporate social responsibility.

Swift social and economic environmental changes such as those associated with the COVID-19 pandemic have led to decreased job security. Although numerous previous studies have examined the influence of job insecurity on employee perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors, the link between job insecurity and negative behavior and its underlying or intermediating mechanisms remain underexplored. The significance of an organization's positive behaviors, which fall under the umbrella of corporate social responsibility (CSR), also deserves more attention. To address these gaps, we examined both the mediator and the moderator in the association between job insecurity and negative employee behavior by establishing a moderated sequential mediation model. We hypothesized that the levels of employee job stress and organizational identification sequentially mediate the relationship between job insecurity and counterproductive work behavior as a representative negative behavior. We also hypothesized that CSR activities play a buffering role that moderates the influence of job insecurity on job stress. We used three-wave time-lagged data collected from 348 employees in South Korean organizations to demonstrate that job stress and organizational identification sequentially mediate the relationship between job insecurity and counterproductive work behavior, and that CSR activities function as a buffering factor that decreases the influence of job insecurity on job stress. The results of this research suggest that the levels of job stress and organizational identification (as sequential mediators) as well as CSR activities (as a moderator) are underlying mechanisms in the link between job insecurity and counterproductive work behavior.

How much do we care about teacher job insecurity during the pandemic? A bibliometric review.

In this study, a descriptive bibliometric analysis of the scientific production in the Web of Science on job insecurity perceived by teachers in pandemic situations was carried out. The result shows the growing interest in the topic with an upward trend with an annual growth of 41.52%. Forty-seven papers from 41 journals with 2,182 cited references were considered, with 149 researchers from 30 countries publishing at least one article. The country with the most publications was the United States, followed by Germany and Spain. The United States was the country with the most collaborations. A total of 95 institutions published papers, and the universities with the most registrations were Miami University and the University of the Basque Country, although York University and the University of the Basque Country had a higher overall citation coefficient (102 and 40, respectively). Of the 41 journals that have published on the topic, Frontiers in Education and the British Journal of Educational Psychology stood out in terms of their article numbers. However, this last one was superior in terms of the overall number of citations per year, followed by Frontiers of Psychology.

Riders on the Storm: Amplified Platform Precarity and the Impact of COVID-19 on Online Food-delivery Drivers in China

The global COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately intensified the precariousness of insecure work. This article examines the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on platform-based food-delivery drivers in China, particularly focusing on labor conditions. Drawing on 52 in-depth interviews with drivers from top Chinese food-delivery platforms, this article shows that the precarity of drivers' work and life is dramatically amplified by the pandemic, resulting in escalating work insecurity, financial instability, and subservient class identity. More specifically, drivers struggle with increased physical risks, livelihood crisis and inflamed racism. All this results from the reorganization of algorithmic labor process and management facilitated by the coalition of food-delivery platforms and Chinese states, which results in surged workload, unpaid labor, uncompensated prolonged production time and extra investment in production assets.

Investigating the potential association of temporary employment and job dissatisfaction with alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms: a 13-wave longitudinal analysis.

BACKGROUND: There has been growing interest in protecting workers' mental health. Identifying social determinants that affect workers' mental health could play an important role in preventing psychiatric diseases. AIMS: We investigated the effects of temporary employment and job dissatisfaction on alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms. METHOD: The Korea Welfare Panel Study data-set (2009-2021) was used, and 9611 participants with 52 639 observations were included. Generalised linear mixed models were employed to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) was calculated to assess supra-additive interactions between temporary employment and job dissatisfaction. RESULTS: Increased risks for depressive symptoms were observed among fixed-term workers (odds ratio 1.12, 95% CI 1.00-1.26) and daily labourers (odds ratio 1.68, 95% CI 1.44-1.95). Daily labourers were associated with an increased risk of alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 1.54, 95% CI 1.22-1.95). Job dissatisfaction was associated with alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 1.78, 95% CI 1.52-2.08) and depressive symptoms (odds ratio 4.88, 95% CI 4.36-5.46). This effect became stronger when workers were concurrently exposed to temporary employment and job dissatisfaction. Daily labourers with job dissatisfaction showed the highest risks for alcohol use disorder (odds ratio 2.99, 95% CI 2.21-4.03) and depressive symptoms (odds ratio 9.00, 95% CI 7.36-11.02). RERIs between daily employment and job dissatisfaction were >0 for alcohol use disorder (0.91, 95% CI 0.06-1.76) and depressive symptoms (3.47, 95% CI 1.80-5.14), indicating a supra-additive interaction. CONCLUSIONS: We revealed that temporary employment and job dissatisfaction had detrimental effects on alcohol use disorder and depressive symptoms.

JD-R model on job insecurity and the moderating effect of COVID-19 perceived susceptibility.

The present research applied a triangulation approach in order to examine the mediating effect of job insecurity and the moderating effect of perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 (PSC) in the Job demands and resources model (JD-R model). Questionnaire and follow-up interview data were collected at two points in time from 292 hotel front-line employees and 15 hotel senior and department managers in Phuket, Thailand. Quantitative results indicated that job insecurity fully mediated the relationship between job demands and job burnout, as well as the relationship between job demands and work engagement. In addition, PSC partially moderated the research model. More specifically, the impact of job insecurity on work engagement is reduced when PSC is low and increased when PSC is high; the impact of job insecurity on job burnout is reduced when PSC is high and increased when PSC is low. Qualitative results further verified the findings of the quantitative study.