ARCUHN

ARC Lab

No. 07 ·

Lees in het Nederlands: ENNL

The replaceability paradox

ARC Analysis · Anomaly, Reframe, Create

In short

AAnomaly

"If anyone can take over the work, we are safe." But people who fear for their job speak up less 1. They also share less of what they know 23. In the Netherlands, 12% of employees worry about keeping their job 4.

RReframe

Transferable work is a process. Feeling replaceable is a person. People who feel replaceable go quiet and keep what they know to themselves. So the work becomes less transferable, not more.

CCreate: questions for your team

  1. What would we lose if you left tomorrow, that isn't written down anywhere?

Rethink the premise.

Go deeper The full piece, with all sources

AAnomaly

"If anyone can take over the work, we are safe."

People who fear for their job speak up less. In a study of 232 employees going through change, this held whether or not they were sensitive to punishment 1. They also share less. Two studies with 365 and 504 employees link job insecurity to hiding knowledge 23. Both were done in Asia, so the Dutch picture still needs its own check. In the second study, support from others weakened the effect 3. In the Netherlands, 12% of employees worry about keeping their job and almost 30% work on a flexible contract 4. Motivation from within needs three things: autonomy, competence and connection 5.

In jobs where I had no say, I went in reluctantly. Where I worked alone and carried the responsibility, I gave everything. I have held my tongue when I couldn't afford to lose a job. I have felt like an employee, not someone who would be missed.

RReframe

Transferable work is a process. Feeling replaceable is a person. The first is smart. The second has a cost. This is the paradox I see: people who feel replaceable go quiet and keep what they know to themselves. So the work becomes less transferable, not more. A contract protects a job on paper. Whether people feel safe to speak, set a boundary or share an idea is decided in the team, every day.

CCreate: questions for your team

  1. What would we lose if you left tomorrow, that isn't written down anywhere?
  2. Do people here know they would be missed?

Rethink the premise.

Sources

  1. Speaking up when feeling job insecureSchreurs, Guenter, Jawahar & De Cuyper, Journal of Organizational Change Management 28(6) · 2015 · 232 employees · https://www.emerald.com/jocm/article-abstract/28/6/1107/244755Strong · peer-reviewed
  2. Job insecurity as a barrier to thriving during COVID-19Chhabra & Pandey, Journal of Knowledge Management 27(3) · 2023 · 365 employees, two waves · https://www.emerald.com/jkm/article-abstract/27/3/632/271521Strong · Asian sample
  3. Breaking the cycle: mitigating job insecurity-induced knowledge hiding through social supportWang, Ye & Wang, Journal of Knowledge Management · 2026 · 504 employees · https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-06-2025-0787Strong · Asian sample
  4. Nationale Enquête Arbeidsomstandigheden 2024TNO & CBS · 2025 · 64,909 respondents · https://publications.tno.nl/publication/34644230/blkHP7m9/TNO-2025-nea.pdfStrong
  5. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivationRyan & Deci, American Psychologist 55(1) · 2000 · Theory, peer-reviewed · https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11392867/Strong