Job satisfaction is a major driver of an individual’s subjective well-being and thus affects public health, societal prosperity, and organisations, as dissatisfied employees are less productive and more likely to change jobs. However, changing jobs does not necessarily lead to higher job satisfaction in the long run. Previous studies have shown, instead, that changing jobs only increases job satisfaction for a short period of time before it gradually falls back to similar levels as before. This phenomenon is known as the ’honeymoon–hangover’ pattern. In our study, we identify an important new moderator of the relation between job change and job satisfaction: the job–education match of job changes. Based on relative deprivation theory, we argue that job changes from being overeducated in a job lowers the likelihood of negative comparisons and thus increases the honeymoon period, lessens the hangover period, and increases long-term job satisfaction. We use data from the Socio-Economic Panel ranging from 1994–2018 and focus specifically on individual periods of employees before and after job changes (n = 134,404). Our results confirm that a change to a job that requires a matched education has a stronger and longer-lasting effect on job satisfaction, and that this effect is slightly lower for respondents born abroad.
Job satisfaction is a major driver of an individual’s subjective well-being and thus affects public health, societal prosperity, and organizations, as dissatisfied employees are less productive and more likely to change jobs. However, changing jobs does not necessarily lead to higher job satisfaction in the long run: instead, previous studies have shown that changing jobs only increases job satisfaction for a shorter period of time before it gradually falls back to similar levels as before. This phenomenon is known as the honeymoon-hangover pattern. In our study, we identify an important new moderator of the relation between job changes and job satisfaction: the job-education match of job change. Based on relative deprivation theory, we argue that a job change out of overqualification lowers the likelihood of negative comparisons and thus increases the honeymoon period and lessens the hangover. In addition, we investigate whether this moderating effect is weaker for immigrants, since the phenomenon of overqualification occurs more frequently among them. We use data from the Socio-Economic Panel ranging from 1994-2018 and focus specifically on individual-periods of employees before and after job changes (N=134,417). Our results confirm that a change to a qualificationadequate job has a stronger and longer-lasting effect on job satisfaction which is lower for respondents born abroad.
Tolerance for Ambiguity (TA)—the ability to deal with ambiguous stimuli or situations—represents a central construct for the acceptance of diversity. Although TA can be an important indicator for the functioning of a pluralistic society, it is rarely included in population surveys in Germany, and there are few validated measurement instruments for the German-language area that are suitable for general population surveys. Therefore, this paper proposes a measurement instrument in the German language to address these concerns. This development is based on the English-language Tolerance for Ambiguity Scale (TAS), which is surveyed with 12 items covering four sub-dimensions: valuing diverse others, change, challenging perspectives, and unfamiliarity. These items were translated into German using the TRAPD approach and empirically tested in a three-wave online panel study in Germany (n = 1,370 in each wave). To evaluate the psychometric quality of the translated TAS, validity (factorial and construct validity) and reliability (McDonalds’s omega coefficient and test-retest stability) are considered. This article makes at least two contributions. First, it proposes a German-language version of TAS, and second, it tests the scale using a confirmatory approach to factor analysis rather than the exploratory approaches used in previous studies. In summary, the German TAS is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring TA in population surveys in Germany.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.