Can a workplace leadership intervention reduce job insecurity and improve health? Results from a field study

To examine the effectiveness of an intervention in the workplace designed to reduce job insecurity among employees affected by organizational change.

Supervisors were randomly allocated to an intervention (IG) or waiting-list-control group (CG) and the intervention was administered over a period of 3 months, comprising six group sessions. N = 103 supervisors and their team members (mean age 41.80 ± 9.60 years, 60.19% male) provided data prior to (t0) and 3 months post-intervention (t1) by means of questionnaires and hair samples. Job insecurity (COPSOQ), mental health (HADS) and somatic health (GBB, hair cortisol concentration) were measured.

Job insecurity was reduced to a marginally significant degree in the IG compared to the CG at t1 (B = - 5.78, p = .06, CI [- 11.73, 0.17]). Differential effects for supervisors and team members were not found. No effects on health could be observed overall in the IG, but supervisors in the IG reported a significant decrease in exhaustion tendency (B = - 0.92, p = 0.01, CI [- 1.64, - 0.20]) and a non-significant trend towards higher levels of anxiety (B = 2.98, p = 0.10, CI [- 0.57, 6.54]) compared to team members.

This is the first study to provide some evidence for the effectiveness of an intervention that aimed at reducing job insecurity during organizational change. Health-related effects were observed in supervisors but not in team members. Further intervention studies are needed to add to the current knowledge base.