Globalization and Job Insecurity in Danish Firms: A Multilevel Study

Abstract

Globalization is on the agenda as a cause of job insecurity, but knowledge regarding the relationship between globalization, management practices, and employee job insecurity is in fact limited. This study aims to investigate this multilevel association, defining globalization by the interrelated aspects of competition, liberalization, and technological innovation, and management by offensive practices such as external collaboration, organizational change, numerical flexibility, and work intensification. Questionnaire data were collected in 2010 from 3392 employees of 569 Danish companies and analyzed with multilevel modeling. The results show that international collaboration and numerical flexibility are associated with higher job insecurity. The level of job insecurity management of globalization are associated with employee job insecurity, companies should react in a timely way to globalization pressures: for example, by involving employees, communicating clearly, and supporting employees with lower education. KEYWORDSDynamic capabilities / flexibility / globalization / job insecurity / management practices / organizational change

Meaningfulness in the Work of Language Professionals

“…This requires employee understanding: the employer must understand which issues affect the employee's experience of meaningfulness (Luukka 2019, p. 119). Raeder et al (2019) suggest that, especially in uncertain situations, open communication and employee support are the key tasks of management: although knowledge work is largely self-organizing, support and guidance are nevertheless needed. According to Sutela et al, managers are no longer expected to be particularly familiar with their subordinates' tasks, but rather to enable, support, and encourage them in their work (see also Drucker 1999, p. 85).…”