The relationship between job insecurity and work outcomes among non-tenured higher education faculty

Multiple studies during the past twenty-five years have indicated the tremendous impact that job insecurity can have on both the individual and the organization. For individuals, job insecurity has been found to increase stress levels and intentions to leave and to decrease work productivity. For the organization, job insecurity has been found to increase expenses through employee turnover and to decrease revenue through the loss of work productivity. Social support was often identified as a factor that moderates the links between job insecurity and a broad range of negative work outcomes. However, the theoretical foundations of these studies have been described as weak and frail.;The goal of this study is twofold. First, the study investigated the relationships between job insecurity and work outcomes (i.e., affective commitment, job satisfaction, stress, well-being, and physical health). The sample population is characterized by higher levels of job insecurity but has rarely been a subject of research on job insecurity, namely, university faculty members who hold tenure-track positions but are not yet tenured. Second, the study examined the extent to which these relationships are moderated by a secure work base (SWB), which is defined as: a context specific sense of security that develops from interactions with the organization or any of its members where employees feel that support is available when needed, that their capabilities and efforts are being affirmed and appreciated, and where their acts and initiatives are not being interfered or interrupted (Ronen & Mikulincer, 2014, p. 87).;This study uses Attachment Theory as a robust foundation for examining the proposed moderated relationships.;The sample for this study was comprised of 557 non-tenured faculty currently employed in tenure track positions. These universities consisted of three doctoral degree granting institutions and four master's degree granting institutions. The three doctoral institutions have approximately 6,000 total students each and master's institutions are significantly smaller with enrollment at each university less than 3,000 students. An email invitation was sent inviting the non-tenured faculty members to participate in the survey with an electronic link to the survey. The final survey concluded on May 28, 2014. Total completed surveys for the sample was 165, a 29 percent return rate and exceeding the minimum sample size calculation for this research.;Results of this study showed job insecurity predicts affective commitment, job satisfaction, perceived stress, sense of well-being, and negative feelings of physical health in non-tenured faculty members in a university setting. However, the data in this study does not support that a Secure Work Base moderates the relationship between job insecurity (IV) and affective commitment, job satisfaction, perceived stress, well-being, and physical health (DVs) in non-tenured faculty members in a university setting.