Offshoring's hidden toll: mental distress among onshore employees

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Clerckx, Robin John; Grimpe, Christoph; Leten, Bart; Vancauteren, Mark
• 署名单位: KU Leuven; Hasselt University; Copenhagen Business School; Hasselt University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-026-00862-x
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: AGE-DISCRIMINATION; Knowledge transfer; HIRING DECISIONS; field experiment; RESOURCES; WORKPLACE; strategy; HEALTH; work; self

摘要

Offshoring is a central strategy through which firms reorganize their global operations, yet little is known about its unintended consequences for mental distress among onshore employees. Integrating the Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping with the offshoring literature, we theorize that offshoring elevates mental distress, as the event is perceived as a threat that is difficult to cope with. We further argue that the effect is not uniform but depends on conditions that amplify the perceived risk of job loss or constrain re-employment opportunities. To test these arguments, we construct a comprehensive employer-employee dataset from the Netherlands, in which mental distress is measured using psychotropic medication prescriptions. Our analyses reveal that offshoring leads to a substantial increase in the likelihood of psychotropic medication use among onshore employees, lasting up to three years after the event. Furthermore, the effects become more pronounced when offshoring is accompanied by layoffs and among low-to-medium-skilled, migrant, and older workers. Taken together, our findings highlight that offshoring entails nontrivial and durable human costs, particularly for employees who are most vulnerable to its consequences. For managers and organizations, these results underscore that offshoring initiatives require sustained and targeted efforts to mitigate mental distress and safeguard effective implementation. La d & eacute;localisation est une strat & eacute;gie centrale par laquelle les entreprises r & eacute;organisent leurs op & eacute;rations & agrave; l'& eacute;chelle mondiale, mais on sait peu de choses sur ses cons & eacute;quences impr & eacute;vues en termes de d & eacute;tresse mentale chez les employ & eacute;s rest & eacute;s sur place. Nous appuyant sur la th & eacute;orie transactionnelle du stress et la litt & eacute;rature de la d & eacute;localisation, nous th & eacute;orisons que la d & eacute;localisation augmente la d & eacute;tresse mentale, car cet & eacute;v & eacute;nement est per & ccedil;u comme une menace difficile & agrave; g & eacute;rer. Nous argumentons en outre que cet impact n'est pas uniforme, mais d & eacute;pend de conditions qui amplifient le risque per & ccedil;u de perte d'emploi ou limitent les opportunit & eacute;s de r & eacute;emploi. Pour tester ces arguments, nous construisons un ensemble de donn & eacute;es complet employeur-employ & eacute; aux Pays-Bas, dans lequel la d & eacute;tresse mentale est mesur & eacute;e & agrave; l'aide des prescriptions de m & eacute;dicaments psychotropes. Nos analyses r & eacute;v & egrave;lent que la d & eacute;localisation entra & icirc;ne une augmentation substantielle de la probabilit & eacute; de consommation de m & eacute;dicaments psychotropes chez les employ & eacute;s rest & eacute;s sur place, et ce, jusqu'& agrave; trois ans apr & egrave;s l'& eacute;v & eacute;nement. De plus, les impacts deviennent plus prononc & eacute;s lorsque la d & eacute;localisation s'accompagne de licenciements et chez les travailleurs peu ou moyennement qualifi & eacute;s, migrants et & acirc;g & eacute;s. Ensemble, nos r & eacute;sultats mettent en & eacute;vidence que la d & eacute;localisation engendre des co & ucirc;ts humains non n & eacute;gligeables et durables, en particulier pour les employ & eacute;s les plus vuln & eacute;rables & agrave; ses cons & eacute;quences. Pour les managers et les organisations, ces r & eacute;sultats soulignent que les initiatives de d & eacute;localisation n & eacute;cessitent des efforts soutenus et cibl & eacute;s pour att & eacute;nuer la d & eacute;tresse mentale et garantir une mise en oe uvre efficace. La deslocalizaci & oacute;n internacional (offshoring en ingl & eacute;s) es una estrategia central mediante la cual las empresas reorganizan sus operaciones globales, pero se sabe poco sobre sus consecuencias no intencionadas en el distr & eacute;s mental de los empleados en el pa & iacute;s de origen. Integrando la Teor & iacute;a Transaccional del Estr & eacute;s y Afrontamiento con la literatura sobre deslocalizaci & oacute;n, teorizamos que la deslocalizaci & oacute;n eleva el distr & eacute;smental, ya que el evento se percibe como una amenaza dif & iacute;cil de afrontar. Adem & aacute;s, argumentamos que el efecto no es uniforme, sino que depende de condiciones que amplifican el riesgo percibido de p & eacute;rdida de empleo o limitan las oportunidades de reempleo. Para probar estos argumentos, construimos una base de datos comprehensiva de empleadores y empleados en los Pa & iacute;ses Bajos, en el cual el distr & eacute;s mental se mide mediante las prescripciones de medicamentos psicotr & oacute;picos. Nuestros an & aacute;lisis revelan que la deslocalizaci & oacute;n conduce a un aumento sustancial en la probabilidad de uso de medicamentos psicotr & oacute;picos entre los empleados locales, que persiste hasta tres a & ntilde;os despu & eacute;s del evento. Adem & aacute;s, los efectos se vuelven m & aacute;s pronunciados cuando la deslocalizaci & oacute;n va acompa & ntilde;ada de despidos y entre trabajadores de baja y media cualificaci & oacute;n, migrantes y empleados de mayor edad. En conjunto, nuestros hallazgos destacan que la deslocalizaci & oacute;n conlleva costos humanos de importancia real y duraderos, particularmente para los empleados m & aacute;s vulnerables a sus consecuencias. Para los gerentes y las organizaciones, estos resultados subrayan que las iniciativas de deslocalizaci & oacute;n requieren esfuerzos sostenidos y espec & iacute;ficos para mitigar el distr & eacute;s mental y garantizar una implementaci & oacute;n efectiva. A terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o internacional & eacute; uma estrat & eacute;gia central por meio da qual as empresas reorganizam suas opera & ccedil;& otilde;es globais, mas pouco se sabe sobre suas consequ & ecirc;ncias n & atilde;o intencionais, que geram consterna & ccedil;& atilde;o mental entre os funcion & aacute;rios locais. Integrando a Teoria Transacional do Estresse e do Enfrentamento & agrave; literatura sobre terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o internacional, teorizamos que a terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o eleva a consterna & ccedil;& atilde;o mental, pois o evento & eacute; percebido como uma amea & ccedil;a dif & iacute;cil de enfrentar. Argumentamos, ainda, que o efeito n & atilde;o & eacute; uniforme, mas depende de condi & ccedil;& otilde;es que amplificam o risco percebido de perda de emprego ou restringem as oportunidades de reemprego. Para testar esses argumentos, constru & iacute;mos um conjunto abrangente de dados empregador-empregado dos Pa & iacute;ses Baixos, no qual a consterna & ccedil;& atilde;o mental & eacute; medida por meio de prescri & ccedil;& otilde;es de medicamentos psicotr & oacute;picos. Nossas an & aacute;lises revelam que a terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o internacional aumenta substancialmente a probabilidade de uso de medicamentos psicotr & oacute;picos entre os funcion & aacute;rios locais, com efeitos que perduram at & eacute; tr & ecirc;s anos ap & oacute;s o evento. Al & eacute;m disso, os efeitos tornam-se mais pronunciados quando a terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o & eacute; acompanhada de demiss & otilde;es, e entre trabalhadores com baixa a m & eacute;dia qualifica & ccedil;& atilde;o, migrantes, e trabalhadores mais velhos. Em conjunto, nossas descobertas destacam que a terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o internacional implica custos humanos significativos e duradouros, particularmente para os funcion & aacute;rios mais vulner & aacute;veis & agrave;s suas consequ & ecirc;ncias. Para gestores e organiza & ccedil;& otilde;es, esses resultados ressaltam que iniciativas de terceiriza & ccedil;& atilde;o internacional exigem esfor & ccedil;os sustentados e direcionados para mitigar a consterna & ccedil;& atilde;o mental e garantir uma implementa & ccedil;& atilde;o eficaz. 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