The moderating effect of trust in management on consequences of job insecurity

Abstract

Using data from 1071 staff and administrative professionals at a large university experiencing repeated rounds of budget cuts, this article examines the attenuating effect of trust in management on the negative consequences of job insecurity. Results show that job insecurity was associated with increased burnout and psychological distress as well as decreased work and supervisor satisfaction and affective commitment. However, trust in management was negatively related to burnout and psychological distress but positively related to work and supervisor satisfaction and affective commitment. More importantly, trust in management was found to consistently buffer the relationships between job insecurity and these job-related outcomes. Implications for successfully managing job insecurity during times of organizational or economic upheaval are discussed.