This study is an empirical analysis study to reveal how human rights sensitivity affects job stress and organizational effectiveness for private security guards and to determine how job stress mediates the relationship between human rights sensitivity...
This study is an empirical analysis study to reveal how human rights sensitivity affects job stress and organizational effectiveness for private security guards and to determine how job stress mediates the relationship between human rights sensitivity and organizational effectiveness.
Private security complements the limitations of public security(police) for the safety of citizens and is in charge of crime prevention and social order. However, private security guards frequently experience an embarrassing situation where they have to guard with strict access control and minimize inconvenience to users. Meanwhile, since many people around the world visit Korea due to the influence of the K-culture Hallyu, private security guards should accept cultural diversity and have a human rights-friendly working attitude without prejudice or stereotypes. However, the recent cases of human rights violations of private security guards at airports and collective civil petitions suggest the necessity of human rights education for private security guards. Against this background, this study attempted to demonstrate the effect of human rights sensitivity of private security guards on job stress and organizational effectiveness, and the mediating effect of job stress.
The theoretical basis of this study was composed of three variables: human rights sensitivity, job stress, and organizational effectiveness. Human rights sensitivity is a psychological process that recognizes and interprets the situation as a human rights-related situation when human rights issues are involved, recognizes how possible actions will affect others in that situation, and recognizes that the person is responsible for resolving the situation. In other words, it refers to the attitude of the security guard to recognize and respect the human rights of others. Job stress is defined as excessive burden, anxiety, and tension that an individual feels in the process of performing a job, and organizational effectiveness is a concept that explains the performance of an organization through job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job environment awareness of private security guards. This study established a hypothesis that the higher the human rights sensitivity, the lower the level of job stress, and the higher the organizational effectiveness. In addition, the research model was designed under the assumption that job stress would be mediated in the impact of private security guards' human rights sensitivity on organizational effectiveness.
As a methodological procedure for the study, literature research and empirical analysis were conducted in parallel. Through literature research, the theoretical definitions, components, and measurement indicators of human rights sensitivity, job stress, and organizational effectiveness were established. In the empirical analysis, a questionnaire survey was conducted on private security guards working as security guards at private security companies located in the metropolitan area and 343 copies of effective samples were collected. The questionnaire consisted of questions to measure human rights sensitivity, job stress, and organizational effectiveness, and reliability analysis (Cronbach's α), factor analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, and mediating effect verification were performed using the SPSS 29.0 program.
As a result of the study, first, it was found that human rights sensitivity had a negative (-) effect on job stress. In other words, private security guards with higher human rights sensitivity showed an attitude that did not emotionally shake in conflict situations during work, responded reasonably, and respected the perspectives of others. This was consistent with the results of previous studies that human rights sensitivity acts as a factor in relieving job stress.
Second, human rights sensitivity had a positive (+) effect on organizational effectiveness. Since members with high human rights sensitivity form a positive perception of themselves and the organization, the level of job satisfaction was also significantly high. In other words, it was empirically confirmed that human rights sensitivity is not simply a moral virtue but a core human competency that improves organizational effectiveness.
Third, job stress showed a complete mediating effect in the relationship between human rights sensitivity and organizational effectiveness. This means that when human rights sensitivity increases, job stress decreases, and organizational effectiveness increases due to the indirect effect of low job stress. In other words, it implies that private security organizations need to systematically manage the job stress level of private security guards and prepare measures to improve human rights sensitivity in order to increase organizational effectiveness.
In this study, it was confirmed that the improvement of human rights sensitivity of private security guards lowered job stress and increased organizational effectiveness. In addition, it was empirically confirmed that job stress has a complete mediating effect in the relationship between human rights sensitivity and organizational effectiveness.
Accordingly, private security organizations need to systematically introduce human rights-based job management strategies. Specifically, first, human rights education and human rights sensitivity cultivation education programs should be introduced in job training for security guards to raise human rights awareness of private security guards. Second, it is worth utilizing the human rights sensitivity of private security guards as a personnel management strategy. Third, private security organizations need to introduce human rights management.
This study is of academic significance in that it introduced human rights sensitivity into private security research and presented a human rights-centered theoretical framework in the fields of security. It also has policy and practical significance that contributes to the establishment of a human rights-friendly culture and the quality of security services by providing basic data for education and training and personnel management strategies for private security organizations.
In conclusion, human rights sensitivity is a strategic factor that determines the sustainability and competitiveness of private security organizations. Attitudes and empathetic thinking that respect human rights form a virtuous cycle structure that reduces job stress and increases organizational effectiveness. Therefore, in the future, the private security industry should develop a new paradigm of 'security management based on human respect' on the basis of physical safety management. These changes will ultimately be a way to secure citizens' trust and strengthen the expertise and social responsibility of the security industry.