6533b870fe1ef96bd12cf96e

RESEARCH PRODUCT

How Do Young People Cope with Job Flexibility?: Demographic and Psychological Antecendents of the Resistance to Accept a Job with Non-Preferred Flexibility Features

subject

description

La flexibilite est souvent vue comme condition necessaire a la survie des marches de travail nationaux et a celle des organisations dans un monde en rapide changement ou s’accroit la competition globale. Elle a adopte diverses formes tels les contrats a duree determinee, l’externalisation, les horaires flexibles, le temps partiel, les heures complementaires, le roulement fonctionnel. De plus, il a ete declare que la flexibilite organisationnelle se doit d’etre accompagnee d’une flexibilite personnelle. Quoi qu’il en soit, face aux nouvelles opportunites de travail, les gens different tant sur le plan de leurs preferences que sur celui de leur comportement. Le but de cette etude est d’identifier les antecedents psychologiques et demographiques de la resistance individuelle a accepter les demandes de flexibilite tels qu’un emploi sous qualifie, le manque d’occasions d’apprendre, un emploi exigent (challenging job), un travail en tant qu’independant, un emploi qui requiere un changement de localite. L’etude a ete menee sur un echantillon representatif de 2512 espagnols âges de 16 a 30 ans de la region de Valence, de Madrid et de Barcelone. Les resultats relatifs aux antecedents demographiques indiquent que l’age et le sexe (feminin) accroissent la probabilite de resistance au travail en tant qu’independant; le statut marital (marie) accroit la probabilite d’une resistance a la flexibilite de lieu; le niveau d’education accroit celle aux emplois sous qualifies et n’offrant pas la possibilite d’apprendre et decroit la probibilite de resistance a la flexibilite de lieu. Enfin, le type d’habitat (resider dan une ville de plus de 100 000 habitants) accroit la probabilite de resistance a un emploi exigent et a celle a un travail en tant qu’independant et decroit la probabilite de resistance aux emplois sous qualifies et a ceux qui n’offrent pas de possibilite d’apprendre. Les variable psychologiques jouent aussi un role significatif pour predire la resistance a la flexibilite du travail. Des valeurs extrinseques attenuent la probabilite de resistance aux emplois sous qualifies et a ceux qui n’offrent pas de possibilite d’apprendre alors que des valeurs sociales ou intrinseques accroissent la probabilite de resistance aux emplois sous qualifies, a ceux qui n’offrent pas de possibilite d’apprendre et decroissent la probabilite de resistance a un emploi exigent. L’initiative personnelle favorise la resistance aux emplois sans possibilite d’apprendre et, a l’inverse decroit celle de resister a un emploi exigent, a la flexibilite de lieu et au travail en tant qu’independant. Ces resultants sont discutes a partir de l’economic (theorie du capital humain) et des resultants de recherches anterieures en psychologie du travail. Sont egalement indiquees les implications de ces resultants pour les individus et les organisations et leur utilite en vue d’ameliorer les strategics permettant de faire face aux flexibilies du marche du travail. Flexibility is considered to be a necessary response to global competition and it clearly has an impact on labour markets and organisations. It has adopted several forms such as temporary and fixed term contracts, outsourcing, flexible time, part-time working, overtime, job rotation, or functional mobility. Furthermore, it has been claimed that organisational flexibility must be accompanied by personal flexibility. However, people differ in their preferences and behaviours in face of the new job opportunities. The goal of the present study is to identify demographic and psychological antecedents of individual resistance to accept job flexibility demands such as: underqualified job, lack of opportunities to learn, a challenging job, self-employment and jobs that require moving from the city of residence. The study was carried out on a representative sample of 2,512 Spanish youngsters, aged between 16 and 30 years from the Valencian region, Madrid and Barcelona. Results on demographic antecedents show that age and sex (women) increase the probability of resisting self-employment. Marital status (married) increases the probability of resisting locational flexibility. Education level increases the probability of resisting an underqualified job and one that does not give opportunities to learn and decreases the probability of resisting locational flexibility. Finally, habitat (living in a city bigger than 100,000 population) increases the probability of resisting a challenging job and self-employment and decreases the probability of resisting an underqualified job and one that does not give opportunities to learn. Psychological variables also play a significant role in predicting resistance to job flexibility. Extrinsic work values decrease the probabilities of resisting an underqualified job and one that does not offer opportunities to learn, while intrinsic or social values increase the probabilities of resisting an underqualified job and one that does not offer opporunemtunities to learn and decrease the one of resisting a challenging job. Personal Initiative increases the probability of resisting a job without opportunities to learn and conversely decreases the one of resisting a challenging job. Finally, passivity in career planing decreases the probability of resisting an underqualified job and one without learning opportunities and increases the chances of resisting a challenging job, locational flexibility, and self-employment. These results are discussed from economic (human capital theory) and work psychology previous research findings. The implications of these findings for individuals and organisations and their usefulness in improving strategies to cope with labour market flexibility in the future are also pointed out.