Organizational Psychology

Purpose. The purpose of the article is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the job insecurity due its influence on the employee job attitudes. Design. The design of the study was longitudinal. The empirical results were collected in 2017–2018. The empirical basis of the research is the separate structural department of the bank. The organization has realized downsizing project during the collection of empirical data. It has made possible to analyze the job satisfaction and work engagement before, during and after the downsizing project. Sample size N = 151 (at the start), and N = 116 (atthe end) of the study. The measures used in the present study are: 1) the “Utrecht Work Engagement Scale” (Schaufeli, Bakker, 2003); 2) “Brief Job Satisfaction Measure” (Judge, Locke, Durham, Kluger, 1998); 3) “The Job Insecurity Scale” by De Witte (2000; 2012). Scales 2–3 administered by A. Smirnova. Findings. An empirical analysis of the dynamics of job attitudes in the groups differ in age and gender has found out a short-term motivating effect of the threat of job loss. The motivating effect of the threat of job loss is lost during six months. The most significance motivating effect was wound out in within the group of ordinary employees in the senior category over 45 years. The threat of dismissal also has the greatest impact on the behavior change of that part of the staff that is most susceptible to experiencing job insecurity (regardless of age). The employees who perceived the job insecurity are more satisfied with their work and value it more highly. However, as the duration of the threats of the working situation increases, job attitudes show negative trends. Long-term experiencing of the job insecurity leads to the change the job attitude (to the worse) and reduces the labor input. Limitations. The study presented here is not without limitations. First and foremost, we did not pay sufficient attention to the family status of the employee and its role in the perception of job insecurityand job attitudes change. Despite on it, the findings presented in articles has its theoretical meaning in clarifying of the job insecurity experiencing and its psychological consequence and usefulness in organizational change project.