Career Shocks Research Articles

Challenge or Threat? Proposing and Testing a Career Shock Coping Model

Career shocks can significantly impact individuals’ career development. We propose that how a career shock affects career development depends on how people appraise it. Specifically, our Career Shock Coping (CSC) model proposes that, dependent on personal characteristics, individuals differ in the extent to which they appraise career shocks as challenging and/or threatening. Challenge and threat appraisals inspire approach- and avoidance-oriented career behaviors, respectively, which differentially relate to career-related outcomes. A two-wave study was conducted among medical students ( N = 279) in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic as a career shock. Supporting our CSC model, core self-evaluation (CSE) related negatively to threat appraisal and threat appraisal related positively to avoidance-oriented career behavior. Avoidance-oriented career behavior related positively to career decision-making stress. The relations between CSE, challenge appraisal, approach-oriented career behavior, and career decision-making stress were not significant. The findings have implications for career shocks research and career counseling practice.

Parrying the Blow: How Indian Women Cope with Career Shocks

Parrying the Blow: How Indian Women Cope with Career Shocks

How Career Shocks Make “Sense”: A Chain Mediation Model

How Career Shocks Make “Sense”: A Chain Mediation Model

Different Scenarios Of Career Self-Management In The Presence and Absence of Career Shocks

Different Scenarios Of Career Self-Management In The Presence and Absence of Career Shocks

Beyond the Diagnosis: A Kaleidoscope Career Perspective on Health-Related Career Shocks

Beyond the Diagnosis: A Kaleidoscope Career Perspective on Health-Related Career Shocks

Perceived employability during global crises: career shocks and resources

PurposeThis paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approachThis briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.FindingsWhen the unforeseen consequences coincide with a gain spiral, this is experienced as a positively valenced career shock, leading to positive views of employability. If they coincide with a loss spiral, then a negatively valenced career shock is triggered, leading to negative perceptions of employability.Originality/valueThe briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Increasing nurses’ occupational well-being: the role of career shocks, job crafting and supervisor autonomy support

BackgroundThis study aims to explore the influence of career shocks on nurses’ occupational well-being through job crafting and the moderating role of supervisor autonomy support.MethodThe present study used a cross-sectional design. And the study included 714 frontline nurses in China, and we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test our hypotheses.ResultsJob crafting mediated both the relationship between positive career shocks and occupational well-being and the relationship between negative career shocks and occupational well-being. Supervisor autonomy support moderated the indirect relationships.ConclusionsPositive and negative career shocks could increase and impair nurses’ occupational well-being through job crafting, respectively. We contribute to helping nurses make sense of career shocks and preparing for career shocks, and hospital administrators and nurses’ direct supervisors can help nurse better cope with career shocks in attending job crafting activities and providing more autonomy supports.

Tourism and Hospitality Industry Employees' Experiences of Career Shocks and Career Resilience

Employees in the tourism and hospitality industry (THI) have experienced a wide range of sudden changes that have had various impacts on their careers. Career shocks are disruptive and extraordinary events often caused by factors outside the focal individual’s control and that trigger a deliberate thought process concerning one’s career. Although career shocks are usually difficult to predict, we can prepare ourselves in advance by developing career resilience. Career resilience refers to an individual's ability to adapt to new situations, overcome negative ones and recover from changes. Research is exceptionally important, especially from the perspective of the THI, which has suffered from a wide range of crises which have caused a significant decrease in workforce engagement and labour shortages. This research aimed to study the experiences of THI employees in career shock situations and how career resilience has affected these situations. The research questions were: What kind of career shocks have employees experienced during their careers? What kind of consequences have these career shocks had on employees’ careers? How have career shock situations strengthened their career resilience? This study was conducted based on a narrative approach and the data consisted of 30 career narrative writings of the students of the Tourism and Hospitality Management master’s degree programme. A three-phase qualitative inductive content analysis was used as an analysis method. The results suggest that employees have experienced a wide range of career shocks during their careers, partly because the THI and workplaces have been sensitive to change. According to the data, career shocks could be categorised into global, organisational, and individual level shocks. Employees experienced career shocks and their consequences mainly positively. In addition, the experiences of surviving career shock situations strengthened individuals’ career resilience in many ways. This study highlights the importance of understanding individuals' experiences of career shocks and the ways to prevent uncertainty to retain employees in the workplaces and an industry suffering from labour shortages.

Why do negative career shocks foster perceived employability and career performance: A career crafting explanation

Studies of negative career shocks have generally overlooked the proactive pathway underlying the link between negative career shocks and employee career outcomes. Drawing on the career crafting perspective, we theorized a mediated moderation model that links negative career shocks to two career outcomes: perceived employability and career performance. Using data from 478 casino dealers in Macau, we found support for our hypotheses that negative career shocks had a positive relationship with career crafting and this relationship was moderated by employee proactive coping. When the casino dealers’ proactive coping was high, they engaged in more career crafting. Moreover, the associations between negative career shocks and career outcomes (i.e., perceived employability and career performance) were mediated by career crafting. Insights and implications for hospitality research on the proactive pathway of negative career shocks are provided by this study.

Self-employment in craft making – a career change towards personal sustainability.

Contemporary crafts are experiencing a vigorous revival not only as bearers of cultural heritage and meaningful leisure activity, but increasingly as a career choice. According to UNESCO, the creative economy is now one of the world’s most rapidly growing sectors. Recent statistics show that this is apparent in the Icelandic economy. With the rise in precarity of work and challenges in career development, people are seeking meaningful and sustainable careers, as is evidenced by an increase in self-employment and micro-entrepreneurship. The main research question of this study was: How do contemporary craft makers in Iceland make sense of taking up and maintaining financially risky self-employment? Data collection and analysis was therefore focused on motives and shared meaning. The primary empirical data consists of fifteen semi-standardized interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted. The constant comparison method was also applied. Needs for authenticity, autonomy, and self-determination, along with passion for creating, were important motives. Negative career shocks were an unexpectedly common motive. Three main themes were developed to describe how participants reasoned their career choice: a second chance, a natural choice, and an act of agency. The analysis revealed craft knowledge as a valuable resource for participants seeking personal sustainability through self-employment. The study adds to an understanding of the value of crafts and craft knowledge in contemporary society.Keywords: craft knowledge, self-employment, personal sustainability, career sustainability, career shocks

Precarious employment amidst global crises: career shocks, resources and migrants' employability

Purpose The authors conducted 22 in-depth longitudinal interviews with 11 Hungarian migrant workers in the Dutch logistics sector, before and during the COVID-19 crisis, using thematic analysis and visual life diagrams to interpret them.Design/methodology/approach This study aims to contribute to conservation of resources theory, by exploring how global crises influence the perceived employability of migrant workers in low-wage, precarious work.Findings The authors find that resources are key in how migrants experience the valence of global crises in their careers and perceive their employability. When unforeseen consequences of the COVID-19 crisis coincided with migrants' resource gain spirals, this instigated a positively valenced career shock, leading to positive perceptions of employability. Coincidence with loss spirals led to negative perceptions.Research limitations/implications The authors contribute to careers literature by showing that resources do not only help migrants cope with the impact of career shocks but also directly influence the valence of global crises in their perceived employability and careers.Originality/value Interestingly, when the COVID-19 crisis did not co-occur with migrants' resource gain and loss spirals, migrants experienced resource stress (psychological strain induced by the threat or actual loss of resources) and no significant change in their perceptions of employability.

From crisis to opportunity: Career shocks and remotework shifts triggered by COVID-19

Purpose. This study investigates the influence of the recent pandemic on remote work andcareer prospects. Approach. Employing the PRISMA framework, the study analyzes relevant literature on novel work conditions and career disruptions within the context of COVID-19, utilizing data from the Scopus and Web of Science databases. The review incorporates 38 studies, offering significant insights into the transformative effects brought about by the pandemic. Findings. The findings show the concerns of employees in relation to remote work and job security. A substantial majority of employees prefer to work remotely for at least two days per week, indicating a significant demand for flexible workar rangements. Furthermore, employees desire full-time remote work, highlighting a strong inclination towards a remote work setup. It should be noted that the current study’s analysis is limited to the period between 2018 and 2021. Implications for practice. These findings hold substantial value for policymakers, employers, and employees, as they provide crucial insights to inform decision-making processes in the post-pandemic work environment.

Understanding Contemporary Career Success: A Critical Review

This article provides a critical review of developments in the literature on career success. We review work from both the organizational psychology (OP) and organizational behavior (OB) disciplines, highlighting the different perspectives, strengths, and weaknesses of each area, and attempt to reconcile these perspectives on career success to suggest productive new research directions. First, the article reflects on conceptualizations of objective and subjective career success and their relative value to the field. We then discuss several categories of career success predictors drawn from economic, sociological, and social-psychological perspectives used in OP and OB. These include human capital, internal and external labor markets, sponsorship and social capital, stable and malleable individual differences, and career self-management behaviors. We provide research suggestions within each of those sections as well as an integrative research agenda built around several emerging issues and theoretical perspectives, encouraging future research on the implications of sustainable careers, career shocks, marginalized group experiences, and alternative employment arrangements for career success.

Reconstruction work awaits: work identity in the aftermath of health-related career shock

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the stages and processes of work identity reconstruction following a major health-related career shock.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth case study and interpretive phenomenological methods are used to allow for deep reflective self-analysis of post-career shock stages. The paper explores the identity processes and stages a Chief of Human Resources of a multinational firm experienced after being deprived from his main working abilities as a result of a brain stroke.FindingsPost-shock work identity stages and processes are identified, as long as the importance of identity threat, liminality, identity internalization and relational recognition in the reconstruction process. The findings propose new coping responses that may allow individuals to escape a diminished work identity: identity shedding and identity implanting.Originality/valueWhile career shocks play a significant role in career development, there is currently little understanding of how career shocks may affect individuals' work identity or sense of self, particularly over time. The paper provides a nuanced understanding of this phenomenon, through process data collected at several points in time over a period of 14 years.

Career shock and the impact of stress, emotional exhaustion, and resources on entrepreneurial career commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate how a career shock, like the COVID 19 pandemic, decreases entrepreneurial career commitment (ECC). The authors look at the specific effect of career shock on stress and emotional exhaustion mediating the commitment, and how organizational and relational resources offset the shock to keep the entrepreneurs committed to their career.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a two-wave sample of 365 entrepreneurs collected four months apart. The authors initially recruited entrepreneurs three months after the pandemic started, then four months later, and tested these ideas with longitudinal data. The design was informed by the stress-strain-outcome (SSO) model to investigate career shock as stressors to entrepreneurs that are likely to produce emotional exhaustion and a decline in ECC.FindingsThe findings demonstrate that career shock affects stress, which in turn leads to a decline in commitment through the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion. Organizational resources (e.g. access to finance) do not impact ECC, stress or emotional exhaustion. However, relational resources (e.g. quality emotional support) are important for ECC by supporting a decrease in stress and emotional exhaustion.Research limitations/implicationsThis study makes three main contributions. Firstly, it advances career shock research in entrepreneurship, emphasizing its role in explaining entrepreneurial career commitment through stress-strain mediation. Secondly, it adds to the understanding of entrepreneurial career commitment and its impact on persistence in entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial exit. Lastly, it supports the relevance of the Stress-Strain-Outcome model in entrepreneurship, demonstrating how career shock can decrease entrepreneurial career commitment through stress and emotional exhaustion. Further research is needed to explore the interaction of career identity and career planning in maintaining career resilience amidst career shocks.Practical implicationsThis study has practical implications for policymakers and service providers in entrepreneurship. It highlights the significance of resources, particularly relational resources, in maintaining psychological health and entrepreneurial career commitment (ECC). The findings support the importance of the Stress-Strain-Outcome (SSO) model in entrepreneurship, emphasizing the need for entrepreneurs to have access to relational resources as coping mechanisms. Policymakers and service providers should focus on enhancing entrepreneurs' capacity to acquire, protect, and develop relational resources. Additionally, the study suggests that entrepreneurs should seek access to both relational and organizational resources to effectively navigate career shocks, such as the pandemic. Further research is needed to explore the role of other types of resources, such as social capital and psychological capital, in entrepreneurial well-being and persistence.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates that a career shock affects stress, which in turn leads to a decline in commitment only through the mediation effect of emotional exhaustion. The panel/longitudinal data analysis demonstrates the causality in the process, highlighting the positive role of the entrepreneur's relational resources. Specifically, it shows that an increase in access to relational resources causes a decrease in stress and emotional exhaustion, which in turn causes ECC to improve. Entrepreneurs are ill-equipped to face a career shock if they lack these resources.

Workplace-Related Negative Career Shocks on Perceived Employability: The Role of Networking Behaviors and Perceived Career Opportunities

While there is a growing interest in career shocks in the careers literature, little is known about how and when they trigger employees’ proactive behavioral responses leading to sustainable career outcomes. The research aims to extend previous knowledge about the effects of such career shocks and uncover their potential benefits. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory, the study proposes that workplace-related negative career shocks indirectly impact employees’ perceived employability by mobilizing their networking behaviors, especially when perceived career opportunities are present. To investigate this, a three-wave survey was conducted among 269 employees over four months in three companies in China. The results show that workplace-related negative career shocks indirectly contribute to employees’ perceived employability by motivating them to engage in networking behaviors. Furthermore, this positive indirect relationship is stronger for employees with high perceived career opportunities. This study is the first to provide a positive perspective on the outcomes of workplace-related negative career shocks and sheds light on employees’ proactive behavioral responses as a mechanism to explain the impact of such shocks on career sustainability.

Retaining hospitality talent during COVID-19: the joint impacts of employee resilience, work social support and proactive personality on career change intentions

PurposeDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced career shocks, especially employees in the hotel industry. To address how to retain talent in the industry, this study aims to examine the joint impacts of employee resilience, work social support and proactive personality on hotel employees’ career change intentions.Design/methodology/approachA survey questionnaire was developed to test the proposed framework. Data from 339 current hotel employees in the USA was analyzed using the PROCESS model.FindingsResults show a significant three-way interaction, indicating that for less proactive employees, resilience is negatively associated with career change intentions. However, for highly proactive employees, an additional situation cue in the form of strong work social support is required to activate the expression of resilience. Highly proactive and resilient employees who receive strong supervisor or coworker support during the pandemic have lower career change intentions. However, highly proactive employees who receive weak supervisor or coworker support exhibit similar levels of career change intentions, regardless of resilience level.Practical implicationsHotel managers should consider helping employees enhance their resilience and overcome career shocks by providing training and resources and establishing a learning culture. More importantly, it is essential to offer strong supervisor and coworker support to promote resilience among proactive employees. Hotel managers should actively promote strong work social support, and offer training and counseling opportunities to promote employee retention during the pandemic.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to examine employee resilience in the hospitality field. This study contributes to the employee resilience literature as well as trait activation theory by examining situational cues that can activate employee resilience and by providing empirical evidence to reveal the boundary conditions of how employee resilience impacts career change intentions.

Resignifying the Unexpected: Career Shocks and its Impacts on the Trajectories of Executive Women

Career shocks are extraordinary, unforeseen events that lead to individual reflections on personal and professional directions. The article aims to identify career shocks as drawn from narratives of 20 women, in corporate careers, who carried out transitions in their trajectories, and to understand how these shocks impact on the sustainability of careers in time. Focusing on female careers beyond motherhood, the interviewees had no children when they made the transition. The analysis revealed four shocks: Awareness on the finitude of life and resignification of trajectories, Focus on the balance between Work-Life after Harm to Physical and Mental Health, Transformative Experiences and Search for Sense, and the Covid-19 Pandemic’s impact on the working modes. These shocks boosted movements toward more sustainable trajectories, demonstrating that the subjective character of careers allows the positive valuation of experiences commonly considered negative. Career shocks, in addition to revealing opportunities, signaled restrictions in women’s career contexts.

코로나19 팬데믹 상황에서 경험한 커리어쇼크가 주관적 경력 성공 인식 수준에 미치는 영향에 관한 연구

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to identify the factors of shocking events in the career aspect experienced by Korean workers in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to find out whether these career shocks affect individual perceptions of the importance of subjective career success. Design/methodology/approach - In the survey of 146 respondents, the career shock events experienced in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic were largely divided into three categories; ‘work change’, ‘employment anxiety’, and ‘life anxiety’. For the subjective career success, seven dimensions - ‘financial security’, ‘financial achievement’, ‘entrepreneurship’, ‘positive relationship’, ‘positive impact’, ‘learning and development’, ‘work-life balance’ - were used. Findings - As a result, there was no difference in the perception of subjective career success due to the experience of ‘work change’ during the Covid-19 period. However, the respondents who experienced ‘employment anxiety’ came to recognize that ‘financial security’ and ‘financial achievement’ were more increasing in terms of the degree of difference of importance. And respondents who experienced ‘lifetime anxiety’ perceived that the degree of difference of importance was increasing in the six dimensions except for ‘social influence’. Particularly, the increase in the importance of ‘work-life balance’ and ‘positive relationship’ was found to be the greatest among the career success dimensions. Research implications or Originality - Finally, it was concluded that changes in the external environment such as Covid-19 pandemic influence as a career shock and affect the level of importance in subjective career success perception. Based on the results, the theoretical implication on current career study and some practical implications for organizational career management were suggested.

Cronyism as a coping strategy: how do female academics deal with the lack of emancipative support?

PurposeThis paper aims to explore how female academics use cronyism to cope with the lack of emancipative support resulting from their intense teaching and research duties, poor representation at senior administrative levels and their exhausting familial commitments.Design/methodology/approachQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 female academics working full-time at four public universities in Egypt.FindingsThe findings showed that the low action resources (considering their unreasonable teaching loads, research requirements and supervision engagements), emancipative values (the unfair representation of female academics at senior administrative levels) and civic entitlement (universities not serious about promoting gender equality) are perceived by female academics as a lack of empowerment that necessitates their adoption of cronyism as their main coping strategy. Moreover, in male-dominated societies, female academics who do not have the power to shape their work-related status tend to use undesirable behaviours such as cronyism to mitigate the negative consequences of the shocks they encounter.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling a gap in human resources management in which empirical studies on the relationship between cronyism, emancipation and career shocks have been limited so far.