Discusses how individuals can ensure they will have a job during periods of layoff and recession. Recommendations include (1) develop employability skills and (2) update resume and worklife philosophy. (CH)

Among the findings of this survey of faculty members and administrators at a large eastern university are that tenure status is a key indicator of tenure attitude and that neither the tenured nor the nontenured group believed job security to be as crucial to tenure as opponents of tenure tend to assert. (IRT)

Focus group data from 26 nonmanagerial women indicated that they often adapted their career goals due to life circumstances. Family responsibilities, job security, and organizational support systems (e.g., job flexibility, tuition reimbursement, mentoring) influenced career success and satisfaction. (Contains 29 references.) (SK)

Work-history data in Britain from 1915 to 1990 showed that British women and men held an average of five jobs over a lifetime; half of all job changes occurred in the first 10 working years; more recent cohorts had more job instability; instability was greater among the lowest occupational classification and among men more than women. (SK)

Explores some historical reasons why, academic freedom and tenure notwithstanding, retaliation against Writing Program Administrators (WPA) remains rather invisible as well as rather commonplace. Suggests that there is a good deal of historical connection between many WPAs' and writing teachers' present job circumstances and the circumstances that…

This article reports the findings of a 1999 survey conducted by the Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW), a group of higher education and disciplinary associations concerned about the dramatic rise in contingent faculty, to examine the staffing practices across eleven humanities and social science disciplines. The comprehensive report showed…

This chapter explores community college faculty satisfaction related to four specific variables.

In "The Corrosion of Character" Richard Sennett contends that the storied nature of human experience is stunted by "conditions of the new economy". He argues that individuals are unable to develop "coherent life narratives" in the absence of job security. Thus, continuous employment somehow provides coherence: at…

This study explored the consequences of perceived job security and insecurity on the psychological and physical health of employees. Data were gathered from employees of a large midwestern manufacturing organization that produced products for material removal applications. Surveys were sent through company mail to a stratified random sample of 442…

Canadian business graduates (n=217) rated items related to old and new career and organizational realities. Respondents who were older and had higher incomes and longer tenure were more likely to endorse the new career "rules." Those who did had more job satisfaction, more optimistic future prospects, and less intention to quit. (SK)

The experiences of 24 women and 14 men working at home (23 independently, 15 as employees) indicated that, although their prime motivation was flexibility, this often benefitted employers more than employees. There were gender differences in childcare arrangements and part-time status. Home-based employment has the potential to reinforce existing…

Interviews and other data collected from a high-tech firm found that organizational instability raises workers' inclination to quit, independent of whether their job security is threatened. Instability undermines trust and impairs the usefulness of incentives intended to increase commitment. (SK)

A 4-year study of 70 adult educators in the vocational training sector showed that they had diverse work patterns, with increasing numbers in casual, contractual, or part-time work. Employee flexibility was rarely rewarded or reciprocated by employers. Wage polarization increased, and a view was emerging that casualization was inevitable. (SK)

A random sample of 763 physicians was surveyed to examine the relation of 18 critical work-related factors to job satisfaction. On the whole, physicians reported that they were satisfied with their careers and believed that caring for patients, sense of accomplishment, continuity of care, autonomy, and personal time were the five most important…

Professional practice is important in the lives of many people and it is often assumed that professionals are motivated with a desire to serve the public interest. However, studies have increasingly addressed the professional dilemma of combining demands for efficiency with the obligation to help others. This study examines what professionals want…