Can Proactive Coping Improve Employee Well-Being in the Situation of Job Insecurity?

Description

Purpose Along with the positive psychology movement, attention in coping research has shifted from reactive to future-oriented coping strategies that are used already before stress occurs and rather focus on personal growth and improving quality of life. In particular, proactive coping – an active, future-oriented coping style – has been shown to be beneficial for individuals’ well-being. This paper addresses the role of proactive coping for employee well-being (happiness and distress), when confronted with job insecurity. Additionally, it is investigated whether coping efficiency would be improved, when employees are highly committed to work, i.e., when they hold high levels of work involvement. Design/Methodology The research questions were investigated within a sample of 163 Austrian and a sample of 444 Taiwanese employees. Results Proactive coping was positively related to employee well-being in the situation of low job insecurity. However, in the situation of high job insecurity, the beneficial effect of proactive coping was present only among employees with high work involvement. In the Austrian sample, the interaction was significant as related to distress; in the Taiwanese sample with regard to happiness. Limitations Results are limited by the cross-sectional design and the non-representative samples. Research/Practical Implications The findings suggest that in the situation of job insecurity the efficiency of proactive coping might depend on work-related attitudes and beliefs, such as work involvement. Originality/Value The study shows that employee work-related cognitions should be taken into account when studying the role of proactive coping for future challenges and volatility within the realm of work.

Period	23 May 2013
Event title	16th Congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
Event type	Conference
Location	GermanyShow on map