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The Impact of Job Insecurity on Employee Happiness at Work: A Case of Robotised Production Line Operators in Furniture Industry in Lithuania

Author

Listed:
  • Živilė Stankevičiūtė

    (School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Eglė Staniškienė

    (School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania)

  • Joana Ramanauskaitė

    (School of Economics and Business, Kaunas University of Technology, LT-44249 Kaunas, Lithuania)

Abstract

As a result of intensive robotisation over the past decade, employees have been constantly experiencing job insecurity, a term which refers to the perceived threat of job loss and the worries related to this threat. Previous studies have supported the detrimental effect of job insecurity on employees; however, the focus on happiness at work is still missing, despite the notion that a happy employee is essentially contributing to sustainable business performance. Trying to narrow the gap, the paper aims at revealing the linkage between job insecurity and happiness at work and its dimensions, namely job satisfaction, affective organisational commitment, and work engagement. Building on the hindrance stressor dimension of the stress model, and conservation of resources and psychological contract theories, the paper claims that a negative relationship exists between the constructs. Quantitative data were collected in a survey of robotised production line operators working in the furniture sector in Lithuania. As predicted, the results revealed that job insecurity had a negative impact on happiness at work as a higher-order construct and all of its dimensions. This finding should be taken seriously by organisations creating a robotised production environment while striving for sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Živilė Stankevičiūtė & Eglė Staniškienė & Joana Ramanauskaitė, 2021. "The Impact of Job Insecurity on Employee Happiness at Work: A Case of Robotised Production Line Operators in Furniture Industry in Lithuania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:3:p:1563-:d:491715
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Lordan, Grace & Stringer, Eliza-Jane, 2022. "People versus machines: The impact of being in an automatable job on Australian worker’s mental health and life satisfaction," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    3. Tahira M Probst & Jasmina Tomas & Lara Roll & Darja Maslić Seršić & Lixin Jiang & Melissa R Jenkins, 2024. "Attenuating the relationship between job insecurity and job satisfaction: An examination of the role of organizational learning climate in three countries," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 45(2), pages 304-334, May.
    4. Guanglu Xu & Ming Xue & Jidi Zhao, 2023. "The Relationship of Artificial Intelligence Opportunity Perception and Employee Workplace Well-Being: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-16, January.

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