To prevent the potential threats of career plateauing for mid-career employees, it has been suggested to give them challenging assignments. This approach is inspired by empirical findings demonstrating that challenging job assignments generally have positive effects on job performance and career development. However, these studies have…

Very little research has focused exclusively on the workplace experiences of transsexual employees. Studies that have been done are either qualitative case studies (e.g., Budge, Tebbe, & Howard; 2010; Schilt & Connell, 2007), or aggregate transsexual individuals with lesbian, gay, and bisexual employees (e.g., Irwin, 2002). The current study…

Based on recent findings that post-retirement adjustment may be influenced by the conditions leading up to the decision to retire, we examine the impact of individual agency in the retirement decision on problematic drinking behavior, as well as the extent to which such an effect may itself depend upon the valence of the pre-retirement work…

The work value system, its development, and its relationship with work experiences can be modeled as an adaptive control system [Ford, D. H., & Lerner, R. M. (1992). "Developmental systems theory: An integrative approach". Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications]. This study employed longitudinal data from 1000 participants (Youth Development Study;…

Previous research on psychological contracts has focused on whether or not employees feel their employers have fulfilled the promises made to them. Instead, here we examine how perceptions of the external labor market, particularly about whether present psychological contracts could be replicated elsewhere, influence employees' attachment to their…

This study examined the effects of family and career path characteristics on objective and subjective career success among 916 employed mothers. Among family variables, age at first childbirth was positively related and career priority favoring the husband was negatively related to both income and subjective career success; number of children was…

A sample of 423 Swiss job entrants reported major change in general, as well as positive and negative work experiences one, two, and four years after finishing vocational training. Qualitative data analysis showed change in responsibility, increase in decision latitude, acquisition of new status (professional work status, full team member status),…

When 54 campus recruiters identified best-fitting and worst-fitting applicants, the most frequently mentioned determinants of fit were job-related coursework or experience and such characteristics as articulateness, appearance, and communication skills. Organization-based fit dimensions were mentioned but to a lesser extent. (SK)

A multidimensional self report measure of work attitudes of high school age youth was developed from the responses of high school students. The measure covered such topics as attitudes toward work, vocational needs and preferences, and expectations about working. A normative administration showed that the scales were reliable and independent.…

Reviews theories and empirical findings about self-esteem derived from the work role and its activities. Self-esteem is defined and problems inherent in its measurement are discussed. Theoretical perspectives relating self-esteem to the work role are outlined. Attitudinal and behavioral correlates of high employee self-esteem are presented.…

Data on 19 threshold work experience variables were obtained by interview from 183 high school graduates and 90 dropouts one and a half years after leaving school. Factor analyses of these data showed strikingly similar factor structures for both groups. (Author)

Conducted three experiments (total N=675) to examine determinants of potential protege attraction into relationship with mentor. Results suggest influence of manager interpersonal competence, manager's integration into decision making network of organization, gender, and protege age. Protege work experience and mentor age did not have significant…

Study of 72 displaced engineers in a retraining program showed that better training performance led to more successful employment outcomes; higher career motivation was related to lower training behavior and outcomes; and more experienced workers were less able to cope with change and had less positive outcomes. (SK)

A study of 165 college seniors included 45 in internships/career-related work, 36 with neither, 42 in internships only, and 42 with work experience only. Internships alone or with work experience related to higher levels of self-concept crystallization. Task variety, feedback, and dealing with people were significantly related to self-concept and…

Comparison of 683 managers selected for promotion and 683 still in middle management found that those with more education and longer tenure were more likely to be promoted. The longer it took to reach middle management, the lower the chances of advancement. Gender and race moderated the effects of organizational experience. (SK)