Well-being in the workplace: The role of Wrzesniewsky`s concept of work orientation.

Description

Purpose: Wrzesniewsky et al. (1997) describe three types of work orientation: Persons consider their work either as a job, with the main focus on financial rewards, as a career, with ambitions for advancement, or as a calling, where the job is seen as a vocation. The authors note that these types of orientation may be related to various forms of well-being. Researchers have suggested that cognitive job insecurity, which is negatively correlated with subjective well-being, may affect people`s work orientation. The aim of this study was to test whether Wrzesniewsky`s concept could act as a mediator in explaining the connection between job insecurity and well-being. Design/Methodology: On the basis of a cross-sectional design and an online survey with 240 employees, simple mediation analyses were conducted. Results: Cognitive job insecurity was negatively correlated with affective and cognitive well-being, and the concept of work orientation emerged as a significant partial mediator: job orientation was enhanced by job insecurity, which was further associated with lower well-being. Calling orientation was impaired by job insecurity, but in contrast to our expectations, was not significantly related to well-being. Limitations: Conclusions regarding causality cannot be drawn because of the cross-sectional design. Research/Practical Implications: This study calls attention to the potential impact of job insecurity on well-being and on employees` work orientation. Originality/Value: The present research shows that viewing one’s job as a calling does not inevitably result in better psychological well-being.

Period	21 May 2015
Event title	17th congress of the European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology
Event type	Conference
Location	NorwayShow on map