Timesizing proximity and perceived organizational support

Abstract

Timesizing, i.e. reduced work hours, has emerged as a less problematic alternative to layoffs. However, timesizing carries problems in terms of employee stress, attitudes, and performance. Based on the transactional theory of stress and the job demands-resources model, the authors proposed that timesizing proximity and perceived organizational support (POS) interactively predict employee stress appraisal and its outcomes. Through a field quasi-experiment involving 251 employees and their supervisors in a social service agency that was undergoing timesizing, the study found that higher POS minimized the effect of timesizing proximity on employees’ stress appraisal. In turn, stress appraisal was related to a number of cross-sectionally assessed outcomes including emotional exhaustion, reduced affective commitment to change, and reduced extra-role performance. These results highlight POS as a key organizational resource that lessens the negative consequences of proximity to timesizing.