The economic environment has been unstable for sometime now and hence, employees are facing high levels of career insecurity. These stressors can have serious risks to psychological well-being as career insecurity brings a perceived loss of control.
Additionally, job insecurity may also reduce engagement at work and these difficulties are frequently exacerbated in some groups. According to Srivastava and Mohaley (2025), older working women may experience harassment by supervisors which can create a toxic work environment and reduce their career satisfaction.
However, leaders, supervisors or mentors can often be important to mitigate pressures by restoring the sense of control of employees. They can do so by reading negative consequences of career insecurity. Also, high levels of supervisor support may act as a buffer, even when the workplace environment is unhealthy. If employees are trusted by their leaders then they are better able to manage their mental health and stress.
Moreover, supervision by mentors and leaders also play an important role in fostering self-efficacy. Since, leaders are able to make employees feel confident in their own capacity to manage demands and the negative consequences of job insecurity can reduce. Therefore, the combination of individual resources and supervisor support can produce a loop that benefits employees and increases resilience while increasing their belief in themselves. But there’s also an important paradox that exists in supervision which might not benefit the stressed employees.
Employees who are stressed and who may need the most support are often the least likely to receive it as supervisors are less likely to mentor employees who appear disengaged, according to the social exchange theory. Since stress reduces a person’s level of engagement at work by draining their energy, the stressed employees may appear as a risky commitment for the time and effort of the leader or supervisor.
In conclusion, despite the present stress levels of employees, companies might benefit from encouraging supervisors to offer regular mentoring. Also, to ensure that the supervision support continues to be a dependable resource, it may be important to have clear anti-harassment policies and supervisory training.
Food for thought: If the employees who need support the most are often the least likely to receive mentoring, how can organisations ensure that struggling employees are not overlooked?
References
- Erdogan, B., Kudret, S., Campion, E. D., Bauer, T. N., McCarthy, J., & Cheng, B. H. (2024). Under pressure: employee work stress, supervisory mentoring support, and employee career success. Personnel Psychology, 78(1), 123–144. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12662
- Fu, A., Wang, S., Guo, T., Xin, Z., Hai, S., Han, Y., & Zhang, X. (2026). Losing control of my career trajectory: The role of career insecurity and supervisor mentoring support in shaping employee withdrawal and mental health. Journal of Business and Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-026-10103-5
- Pires, M. L. (2025). The Effects of Job Insecurity on Psychological Well-Being and Work Engagement: Testing a Moderated Mediation model. Behavioral Sciences, 15(7), 979. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15070979
- Srivastava, U. R., & Mohaley, S. (2025). Exploring the dynamics of Supervisor Support, Supervisor Harassment and their impact on Career Satisfaction and Positive Mental Health of Older Working Women. Mind and Society, 14(4), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.56011/mind-mri-144-202511