title: Downsizing-initiated job transfer of hospital nurses: how do the job transferees fare?
abstract: In this longitudinal panel study, the authors compared the reactions to hospital amalgamation of 66 nurses who had been transferred to a different unit for a downsizing-related reason (bumped/displaced, unit closed, redundancy) with the reactions of 181 nurses who remained on their same unit. Prior to any job transfers, the two groups perceived comparable levels of support and held similar attitudes towards their job and the hospital. Two years later, after job transfers had taken place, transferred nurses perceived significantly lower coworker support. They also reported a significantly greater decrease in organizational commitment than nurses who were not transferred. However, both groups reported a significant decrease between time a and time 2 in perceived organizational support, satisfaction with amount of work and career future, hospital identification, and organization trust. Overall, the results indicate that the downsizing associated with the amalgamation of the hospitals had a highly negative effects not only on those nurses who were transferred because of the downsizing but also on those nurses who remained on their original unit.
authors.affiliation: University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Armstrong-Stassen
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Cameron
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Horsburgh
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006302:Health Services Research; D006754:Hospital Restructuring / Q000458:organization & administration; D006757:Hospital Units; D006764:Hospitals, Community / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology* / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009864:Ontario; D015279:Organizational Culture; D020415:Personnel Downsizing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010558:Personnel Loyalty; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce