Organizational Transformations and Their Impact on Employment Insecurity and Occupational Stress Among Cabin Crew

Changes in the economy, new regulations, and customer expectations all contribute to the aviation industry's ongoing evolution. In response to these developments, airlines often institute systemic reforms that have far-reaching effects on their employees. There is a correlation between organizational changes and increased occupational stress and feelings of job insecurity among cabin crew personnel. This study delves at the connection between organizational changes, job uncertainty, and stress in the cabin crew's work. This article sheds light on how airline firms may assist their employees through transitions by analyzing the difficulties caused by these changes and how they affect workers' health and happiness.

Organizational Transformations in the Aviation Industry

When aircraft companies undergo organizational reforms, they often implement new rules and procedures, restructure their routes, lay off workers, and combine with other companies (Kraus et al., 2021). The usual goals of these adjustments are to improve service quality, decrease operating expenses, or react to competitive challenges. As an example, the global COVID-19 epidemic prompted airlines to swiftly adjust to lower passenger demand, which often led to furloughs, compensation cutbacks, and layoffs, both temporary and permanent (Sorge & Gritti, 2022).

To stay ahead of the competition and in compliance with ever-evolving rules, airlines are constantly updating not just their structural modifications but also their safety practices, customer service standards, and training needs. Even while these changes may improve service quality and operational efficiency, they can cause workers, especially flight attendants, to feel uncertain about their jobs and routines (Bakker et al., 2020).

 

Employment Insecurity Among Cabin Crew

When people worry that they could lose their jobs or have their work conditions drastically altered, it's called employment insecurity (Greenhalgh & Rosenblatt, 1984). Because they account for a significant chunk of the airline's operational costs, cabin crew members are often the first to feel the pinch of organizational transitions and the accompanying job instability (Gössling et al., 2021). Employment insecurity may take many forms, such as worries about losing one's job, having one's salary cut, or having one's contract conditions altered.

A helpful foundation for comprehending the effects of job uncertainty on cabin crew is the notion of psychological contract. Workers' assumptions about their own and their employers' responsibilities constitute what is known as the "psychological contract" (Rousseau, 1995). Employees may feel a violation of the psychological contract when organizational changes result in changes to job conditions, such as decreased perks or greater effort without equivalent compensation. Lower work satisfaction, less organizational engagement, and greater occupational stress may be caused by this sense of breach (Wang & Weng, 2019).

 

Stress in the Workplace for Flight Attendants

The term "occupational stress" refers to the mental and physiological toll that employees take when they are unable to meet the expectations of their jobs (Leka et al., 2003). Because of the specific demands of their job, cabin crew personnel are especially vulnerable to occupational stress. These demands include dealing with time-zone changes, physical weariness, inconsistent customer service, and erratic scheduling (Baker et al., 2022). Cabin crew members already face a lot of stress without adding the job uncertainty that comes with organizational changes. 

Karasek and Theorell's (1990) Demand-Control-Support (DCS) model states that workers experience high levels of occupational stress in situations where they have little control over their work, inadequate support from their superiors and peers, and excessive demands on their jobs. Cabin crew members sometimes endure demanding jobs with little say over their timetables and working conditions. Increased occupational stress might be a result of crew members' perception of having even less influence over their job security and future as a result of organizational modifications that make employment uncertainty worse (Chang et al., 2020).

 

The Connection Between Organizational Changes, Job Uncertainty, and Workplace Stress

Job uncertainty is a common result of organizational changes, which adds to the stress that cabin crew members already feel on the job. Employees who feel their jobs are in jeopardy as a result of organizational change are more likely to suffer from anxiety, despair, and stress, according to research by Wang and Weng (2019). This kind of stress may have devastating effects on aviation workers' health and productivity, on top of the already high demands of the profession.

A possible framework for making sense of this connection is the Conservation of Resources (COR) hypothesis, which states that people feel stressed out if they see a danger to their resources or when they lose some of them (Hobfoll, 1989). Resources for flight attendants include a steady paycheck, personal time, and encouragement from superiors and coworkers. According to Bakker et al. (2020), workers may experience stress and burnout when they perceive a danger to their job security as a result of organizational reforms.

Another theory that sheds light on this connection is the Social Exchange Theory. According to this hypothesis, when workers feel supported by their organization, they are more likely to be loyal and committed to the company (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). Airline cabin crew may experience elevated stress and a loss of organizational commitment as a consequence of transitions that lead to layoffs or changes in contracts. This becomes especially important when people feel that organizational changes are being pushed through for purely financial reasons or because they are unjust (Sorge & Gritti, 2022).

 

Workplace Stress and Job Insecurity and Its Effects on Cabin Crew Members

Cabin crew members' personal and professional lives are affected by job uncertainty and stress. Numerous physical and mental health problems, including as heart disease, impaired immunity, and anxiety and depression, may be brought on by prolonged stress (Leka et al., 2003). Signs of burnout, including emotional weariness, cynicism, and diminished professional effectiveness, are more common among cabin crew members who are under a lot of stress and who are worried about their jobs (Park et al., 2019).

Organizationally, cabin crew members may have greater rates of absenteeism, attrition, and poor performance due to work stress and job instability (Bakker et al., 2020). Higher levels of stress and job instability were associated with lower levels of positive engagement with work and worse levels of customer satisfaction among cabin crew members, according to a research by Gössling et al. (2021). The airline's bottom line can take a hit if flight attendants leave often because of the high expense of replacing them (Chang et al., 2020).

 

Reducing the Risk of Job Loss and Stress for Flight Attendants

Airlines should take a comprehensive strategy to tackling job uncertainty and occupational stress by prioritizing open communication, providing support to employees, and helping them develop resilience. First, one way to assist cabin staff feel more secure throughout organizational transitions is to communicate openly and honestly. Airlines may alleviate cabin crew stress by making them feel more in control and reducing uncertainty via frequent updates and employee participation in decision-making (Baker et al., 2022).

The second point is that airlines should put money into initiatives that assist flight attendants deal with the stress of their jobs, such as peer support groups, mental health services, and training on how to handle stress. Sorge and Gritti (2022) found that workers were less stressed and more satisfied with their jobs when their companies helped them through transitions. Organizational performance is improved via the cultivation of a more resilient workforce, which in turn benefits workers (Sorge & Gritti, 2022).

Third, fostering an organizational justice culture might help cabin crew workers feel more fair throughout changes. According to Colquitt et al. (2001), when workers feel that their company treats them fairly in terms of decision-making, resource allocation, and interpersonal interaction, it's called organizational justice. Employees' confidence in their company may be strengthened and the stress caused by job insecurity can be mitigated by open decision-making and empathetic change communication (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005).

As a last step, airlines may train their flight attendants to be more resilient by teaching them to deal with stress and adjust to new situations. Mindfulness training, seminars on emotional intelligence, and resilience-building exercises are all examples of programs that might help cabin crew deal with stress better (Park et al., 2019). Airlines may assist flight attendants in developing the mental tools necessary to handle times of change by encouraging resilience.

 

 

References

Baker, S., Choi, S., & Kim, J. (2022). Occupational stress among airline crew: Risk factors and mitigation strategies. Journal of Aviation Psychology, 36(2), 178-196.

Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. I. (2020). Burnout and work engagement: The JDR approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 7, 389-411.

Chang, L., Chen, Y., & Lo, Y. (2020). The impact of work-life balance on airline cabin crew job satisfaction and performance. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 45, 56-64.

Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millennium: A meta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425-445.

Cropanzano, R., & Mitchell, M. S. (2005). Social