Rose’s thorn: job insecurity and calling orientation in small service enterprises

Purpose This study aims to integrate job preservation theory and person–environment fit theory in the context of small service enterprises to investigate the mechanisms and boundary conditions underlying employee proactive behaviour, aiming to fill the research gap resulting from the academic community’s insufficient attention to this issue. Design/methodology/approach This study collected 752 valid questionnaires from frontline employees in small service enterprises and analysed the data using the process macro in SPSS. Findings Job insecurity both stimulates proactive behaviour and simultaneously undermines it by disrupting workplace friendship. Calling orientation amplifies the positive effect of job insecurity on proactive behaviour and attenuates its negative impact on workplace friendship. Moreover, perceived organisational support further strengthens calling orientation’s buffering and enhancing roles under high-support conditions while constraining them under low-support conditions. Originality/value Integrating job preservation and person–environment fit theories in small service enterprises, this study uncovers job insecurity’s dual effects on proactive behaviour and highlights calling orientation and organisational support as key boundary conditions.