Unemployed and exhausted? Job-search fatigue and reemployment quality

Lim, Vivien K.G.;Chen, Don;Aw, Sherry;Tan, Mingze

Abstract

Job loss and job search are particularly devastating and stressful events that individuals can experience in their careers. However, less research attention has been paid to fatigue or burnout in the context of unemployment and job search. Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, this study highlights the role that fatigue plays during unemployment and job search among displaced employees — defined as individuals who have lost their jobs involuntarily and are currently not engaged in any form of paid employment. In a two-wave longitudinal study involving 89 displaced employees, we illustrate how financial difficulties and social exclusion can lead to job search fatigue, while psychological capital serves as a personal resource that reduces job seekers' fatigue. We also demonstrate how job search fatigue at Time 1 can lead to lower reemployment quality at Time 2, which, in turn, can lead to lower organizational commitment and increased turnover intentions. Our findings bring into attention the important role that fatigue can play in the context of unemployment and job search.

Journal

Journal of Vocational Behavior

Publication Name

Journal of Vocational Behavior

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ISBN/ISSN

1095-9084

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Publisher

Academic Press

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DOI

10.1016/j.jvb.2015.11.003