The costs of job insecurity: Deviant behavior and turnover

Deviant behavior directed toward individuals and the organizational workplace (e.g., aggression, taking company property) as well as turnover can turn workplaces into hostile environments and cost companies a lot of money. A new study found that employees who experience more job insecurity also show a higher amount of deviant behavior and intention to leave. Job insecurity is the subjective perception of being threatened by job loss, and concerns about the continued existence of the job in the future. Companies should thus have an incentive to reduce perceived job insecurity among their employees in order to prevent negative behaviors at work and unwanted job exits by employees. 

Huang, G.-h., Wellman, N., Ashford, S. J., Lee, C., & Wang, L. (2016, September 12). Deviance and exit: The organizational costs of job insecurity and moral disengagement. Journal of Applied Psychology. Advance online publication.

Retaining an employee requires more than just organizational support for development

Organizations should provide their employees career opportunities if they wish to retain them, according to a US study. The findings show that developmental support reduces voluntary turnover only when perceived career opportunities within the organization are high. Organizations should thus include a variety of development and career planning practices (i.e., job rotations, training, and career mentoring) into their HR system

Journal of Applied Psychology