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Who gets fired, who gets re-hired: the role of workers’ contract, age, health, work ability, performance, work satisfaction and employee investments

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Abstract

Purpose

Many workers have been dismissed in the past few years, either becoming unemployed or finding re-employment. The current study examined whether dismissal and its follow-up for the employee (re-employment versus unemployment) could be predicted from workers’ employment contract and age, and their health status, work ability, work performance, work satisfaction and employee investments at baseline.

Methods

Our sample comprised a selection of participants from the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2010 who participated in a follow-up questionnaire in 2012 (N = 2,644). We used logistic regression analyses to test our hypotheses.

Results

Temporary employment, low health status, low work ability, poor work performance, low work satisfaction and no employee investments in terms of training predicted future dismissal. Furthermore, older workers and workers reporting decreased work performance due to impaired health at baseline had a lower chance of re-employment after being dismissed. Interestingly, after taking into account all predictors, former temporary workers without permanent employment prospects had much better chances of re-employment after their dismissal than former permanent workers.

Conclusions

Temporary, less healthy, low work ability, poor performing, dissatisfied and “under-invested” workers are at risk for dismissal, whereas older and less healthy workers are (also) at risk for long-term unemployment after being dismissed.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Work and Organizational Psychology, Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen, P.O. Box 9104, 6500 HE, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

    Alfred F. Wagenaar & Michiel A. J. Kompier

  2. TNO, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

    Irene L. D. Houtman & Seth N. J. van den Bossche

  3. Department of Social and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Toon W. Taris

Authors
  1. Alfred F. Wagenaar
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  2. Michiel A. J. Kompier
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  3. Irene L. D. Houtman
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  4. Seth N. J. van den Bossche
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  5. Toon W. Taris
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Correspondence to Alfred F. Wagenaar.

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Wagenaar, A.F., Kompier, M.A.J., Houtman, I.L.D. et al. Who gets fired, who gets re-hired: the role of workers’ contract, age, health, work ability, performance, work satisfaction and employee investments. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 88, 321–334 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0961-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-014-0961-6

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