Why some employees might thrive on job insecurity: Human values as a moderating factor in the job insecurity - wellbeing relationship

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyse the extent to which human values moderate the impact of job insecurity on life satisfaction and subjective wellbeing. Drawing upon conservation of resources theory, we argue that human values may affect both the relative importance of resources as well as the competency to successfully adjust to a changing work context. This theoretical framework leads to the expectation that individuals who are motivated by values emphasising variety seeking and taking on challenges in life will suffer less from job insecurity, whereas the wellbeing and life satisfaction of individuals with values motivating them to avoid uncertainty and resist change will be affected relatively more by job insecurity. Empirical analyses, using data from 28 countries from two waves of the European Social Survey, are largely supportive of these hypotheses.