The objective – Temporary agency work (TAW) means being hired out to client organizations on an assignment basis, thus recurrently switching to new assignments. For workers, this constitutes a context with specific conditions for workplace learning and career development. Formal learning opportunities are known to be restricted, but there is limited research focusing on individual agency and possibilities – or hinders – to learn and develop in order to create meaningful and sustainable careers in the context of TAW. Therefore, the aim of this study is to explore how temporary agency workers can use individual agency to influence their development and person-environment fit in meaningful ways, thereby contributing to career sustainability.Methods – We conducted semi-structured theme-focused interviews with 22 temporary agency workers. After verbatim transcriptions, all interviews were analyzed with narrative analysis. Five typical narratives were identified: (a) The flexible worker, (b) TAW as a side gig, (c) TAW as a stepping stone, (d) Return to work as TAW, and (e) TAW as a dead-end.Results – The five narratives offer different perspectives on development and meaningfulness, as TAW is seen as an investment in future career sustainability, an investment into regaining sustainability, an indirect investment in a future sustainable career, or as a sustainable or unsustainable situation in itself. In each narrative, learning and career development are individualized (require agency), and individual agency is restricted by the nature of the TAW contract (e.g., work tasks defined in contract) and the TAW policy at the client organization (buffer vs. recruitment strategy). Career development and developmental learning is primarily shaped by changing assignments or being recruited by the client organization.Conclusion – This study elicits cohesive narratives of how temporary agency workers independently become agentic and identify their needs for learning and development to move forward, thereby creating meaning around TAW and their careers. 

Objective – By examining and addressing a gender-safe organizational climate, this study bridges the research streams on gender regimes, active bystanders, organizational tolerance for sexual harassment, and safety climate in organizations. It examines cross-level associations between a gender-safe climate at the organizational level and gender discrimination and sexual harassment outcomes at the individual level.Methods – The point of departure was to integrate a gender perspective into the organization’s safety climate. Based on the concept of gendered regimes, a questionnaire was constructed to measure employees' perceptions of the organization’s approach to (1) gender discrimination, (2) sexual harassment, (3) the organization's preventive work to reduce gender discrimination and sexual harassment, and co-workers’ approach to (4) gender discrimination and (5) sexual harassment. The theoretical point of departure was Connell’s concept of gender regimes, organizational climate theory, and previous research on sexual harassment in organizations.With the help of Statistics Sweden, a sampling frame was designed to achieve a representative multi-level sample based on register data collected by Statistics Sweden. Based on the sampling frame, the survey was sent to 9000 employees in 150 organizations. The response rate was 19.6%. Multilevel analysis was based on data from 1518 individuals in 130 organizations.Results – All five dimensions of a gender-safe organizational climate were negatively associated with employees' experiences of sexual harassment and gender discrimination at the individual level. Furthermore, sexual harassment and gender discrimination were more frequently reported by women in male-dominated organizations and men in female-dominated organizations.Conclusion – This study contributes to the research gap by examining a gender-safe organizational climate in relation to the occurrence of sexual harassment and gender discrimination. Examining and addressing a gender-safe organizational climate can be a way for organizations to prevent sexual harassment and gender discrimination.

Objective: Previous research suggests that organizations have gender regimes, reflecting the pattern of gender relations within an organization. A non-polarized gender regime likely promotes higher inclusion and lower gender discrimination and sexual harassment. Assessing an organization’s gender regime may help address important aspects of organizational climate. Further, inspired by the concept of organizational tolerance for sexual harassment, we investigate tolerance for gender discrimination, focusing on an organization's readiness to act when violations occur. However, reliable instruments are lacking. This project aims to develop an instrument to assess both gender regime and tolerance for gender discrimination, as well as their associations with relevant outcomes. Methods: We developed a questionnaire aiming for measuring the dimensions of gender regime: 1) gender division of labor (horizontal gender segregation), 2) gender relations of power (vertical gender segregation), 3) human relations, 4) culture and symbolism, as well as tolerance for gender discrimination. The questionnaire was distributed to military cadets in Sweden in 2022 (N=189). We assessed measurement properties and explored associations with outcomes using hierarchical regression analysis.Results: The new instrument showed satisfactory measurement properties. Gender regime dimensions and tolerance were strongly associated with inclusion, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. After controlling for demographic factors (e.g., gender), the instrument explained 22% to 38% of the variance in these outcomes. The most significant dimension was human relations, addressing e.g. whether cadets socialize across or along gender lines. Conclusions: This study empirically explores the gender regime concept and contributes to the validation of a new theory-based instrument. Gender regime and tolerance for gender discrimination were significantly associated with outcomes, inclusion, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. This suggests, that addressing an organization’s gender regime and tolerance for gender discrimination could be important for improving organizational climate. Thus, the instrument shows promise for being incorporated in preventive work environment management.

Job insecurity constitutes uncertainty about the future of the current job. Such uncertainty is expected to impact attitudes and behaviors about one’s work and career and how it will progress. The aim of the present study is to meta-analytically consolidate research on the associations between job insecurity and career-related outcomes. A further aim of the study is to explore two methodological moderators: study design (cross-sectional vs. longitudinal) and type of job insecurity measure (cognitive, affective, or combined). Based on a sample of 237 primary studies, our main results show that job insecurity was positively related to occupational and organizational turnover intention, job search behaviors, and knowledge hiding, and negatively related with career satisfaction, career opportunities, employability, and proactive skill development. In terms of the moderators, the associations were generally stronger in cross-sectional studies compared to longitudinal studies, while the impact of the type of job insecurity measure used was mixed. While our results inform research on job insecurity and career-related outcomes, more studies with a longitudinal design are needed on this research topic. Future research should also further examine how different types of job insecurity measures – cognitive, affective, or combined – are associated with career-related outcomes.