November 2025: Welcoming Prof. Tahira Probst at the IPTO
We were delighted to welcome Professor Tahira M. Probst from Washington State University Vancouver to the IPTO. Prof. Probst is a leading expert on economic stress and occupational health and safety. During her visit, we exchanged ideas about ongoing research, brainstormed future collaborations, and had the pleasure of showing her around Neuchâtel.
Her stay concluded on a truly memorable note: Prof. Probst was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Neuchâtel during the Dies Academicus ceremony on November 1, 2025.
Congratulations, Prof. Probst!
October 2025: 🎉 Congratulations to Dr. Koralie! 🎉
We are thrilled to celebrate Koralie’s remarkable achievement in earning her PhD. This milestone reflects years of curiosity, dedication, and exceptional hard work. Her research, perseverance, and passion have inspired all of us, and we couldn’t be prouder to see her reach this well-deserved accomplishment.
October 2025: The long reach on unemployment. New paper on unemployment and job insecurity published by Prof. Maike Debus and co-authors.
Our new research shows how past unemployment shapes people’s reactions to job insecurity later in their careers. Across four datasets from the US and Germany, we find that prior unemployment often buffers the negative effects of feeling insecure about one’s job—consistent with a stress inoculation process. At the same time, some evidence also points to sensitization, especially for attitudes such as job satisfaction. Together, the findings reveal that job insecurity is not experienced in isolation: people’s employment history fundamentally shapes how they interpret and cope with threats to job loss.
Debus, M.E., Probst, T.M., Bazzoli, A., & Lee, H. J. (2025). The long reach of unemployment: Sensitizing or inoculating employee reactions to job insecurity? Journal of Business and Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-025-10052-5
September 2025: Our team at the SPS 2025 Conference
We’re happy to report three presentations from our group: Loris presented a poster on underemployment; Théo shared a study on absurd conspiracy theories; and Fabrice presented a poster on work arrangements. Many thanks to Loris, Théo, and Fabrice for representing the team and advancing the conversation with their contributions.
Special congratulations to Fabrice for winning the third prize in the poster award!
September 2025: Scarred or spared?: New paper on unemployment published by Prof. Maike Debus and co-authors in Journal of Business and Psychology
Our new review shows how unemployment affects the next generation. We find that parental job loss can hinder children’s education and early careers, while societal-level unemployment also leaves its mark, though in different ways. Together, these insights highlight how both family and economic contexts shape young people’s futures.
Unger, D., Bika, Z., Debus, M.E., Hopp, C., & Klehe, U.-C. (2025). Scarred or spared? A review of micro- and macro-level unemployment’s effects on children’s education and careers. Journal of Business and Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-025-10049-0
