Previous research yielded conflicting results concerning the role of envy in predicting Schadenfreude (pleasure at another's misfortune). Some studies showed that envy predicts Schadenfreude, whereas others did not. Results of the present research reconcile these opposing findings, by showing that envy is a predictor of Schadenfreude when the target is similar to the observer in terms of gender. These results suggest that envy predicts Schadenfreude when people are confronted with the misfortune of a relevant social comparison other.

Although job insecurity has received growing recognition in connection with the transformation of working life, little is known about how unionization affects its consequences. This study addresses how unionized workers cope with job insecurity and examines the extent to which they respond with reactions of exit, voice and loyalty.Of special interest is whether such reactions tend to affect primarily the employer or the union. Survey data from four European countries (Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden) suggest that job insecurity is primarily related to exit and loyalty reactions, but not to voice. The results replicate previous ®ndings of adverse effects of job insecurity on organizational loyalty and employees' propensity to turnover from the job. Although the ®ndings were less consistent across countries with respect to union-related outcomes, the study suggests that job insecurity may lead to reduced union loyalty and withdrawal from union membership.

No abstract

Using data from three European countries (Sweden, Italy and the Netherlands), this study compares full-time and part-time as well as permanent and temporary employed trade union members on several union attitudes (commitment, support, trust, instrumentality and satisfaction) and union turnover intention. It was hypothesized that union attitudes would be less positive, and union turnover intentions would be higher among atypically employed members (part-timers and temporary workers). However, only few differences between full-timers and part-timers and between permanent and temporary workers were found, and the differences that did emerge were not consistent across samples. Moreover, the results revealed no differences between traditional and atypical workers in union turnover intention. In view of these findings, the authors discuss some of the practical and research implications.

No abstract