When work makes me a penny-pincher: the effect of working objectification on saving intentions

Objectification is becoming increasingly pervasive at work. However, how individuals suffering from working objectification alter their consumption behavior remains unknown. Through four studies, this paper examines the effect of working objectification on saving intentions, the underlying role of psychological security and two boundary conditions—social support and time orientation—from societal and individual perspectives. Drawing on an investigation and three laboratory experiments, this paper investigates how working objectification influences saving intentions. Working objectification enhances saving intentions through the underlying mechanism of decreased psychological security. This effect is mitigated when a high (vs. low) level of social support serves as a buffer. Moreover, individuals with a present (vs. future) time orientation are less influenced by working objectification, leading to a smaller decline in psychological security and lower saving intentions. This research contributes to understanding how and why working objectification influences employees’ saving intentions and offers practical insights for employees, business entities and policymakers.