Boundaryless careers through the eyes of employees: The broken promise of a rapid salary growth

Abstract

Boundaryless (interorganizational) careers were introduced as the career development strategy for employees to help them cope with the decreasing job security. In addition, both research and practice advocate the higher benefits of boundaryless careers for employees, such as higher salary growth and high job satisfaction. This study finds this to be only partially true. Using the multivariate piecewise latent growth curve modelling, we analyze career paths of 8,027 respondents (1,818 in boundaryless careers) and simultaneously observe their objective (salary growth) and subjective (job satisfaction) career outcomes. We find that boundaryless careers increase salary growth, however only temporarily. Unexpectedly, subsequent employer changes do not result in higher salary growth. Furthermore, besides finding support for the honeymoon-hangover effect with respect to people’s job satisfaction in both boundaryless and traditional careers, boundaryless careers only marginally help maintain high levels of job satisfaction over time. Consequently, as job satisfaction of all employees decreased over time and that of respondents in boundaryless careers even faster, only high rate of interorganizational mobility (five in seven years) might maintain job satisfaction on high levels.