Job Security Rights: The Effects of Specific Policies and Practices on the Evaluation of Employers

The effects of specific policies and practices regarding employee job security rights on the evaluation of employers was investigated in two contexts. First, an experimental design was used to investigate the effect of explicit at-will and explicit good-cause policies on future job seekers' evaluation for a company's attractiveness and their willingness to sign up for an interview. The results support the argument that the kind of rights employers offer, or expressly deny, can significantly effect recruitment outcomes. Second, the potential role of formal employment at-will agreements as a source of inferences about the employer was investigated using open-ended questions that were responded to by currently employed managers and future job seekers. The results indicate that the use of formal at-will agreements may lead to a variety of negative inferences, giving employers reason to be concerned about the effect of such practices on employee relations.