Today’s business leaders face an unprecedented challenge of engaging and retaining young workers. We examined two facets of workplace respect to determine how leaders might combat this issue. A model was tested to examine the relationship of respectful engagement, autonomous respect, and occupational resilience on job outcomes. A survey of 1,036 U.S. young workers aged 21 to 34, employed full-time, revealed that autonomous respect was a stronger predictor of occupational resilience than respectful engagement. Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between occupational resilience and job satisfaction, employee loyalty, and job engagement. Finally, the relationship of both respectful engagement and autonomous respect on job outcomes was positively mediated by occupational resilience, further substantiating the positive benefits of respectful communication on employees’ wellbeing and, ultimately, positive long-term business benefits.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how young women understand and make meaning of their status as early-career women (ECW) in the creative communication industry, which is typically dominated by male leadership. It explores how professional relationships influence their transition into full-time employment and influences their career trajectories. Design/methodology/approach Interviews with 31 women in the first five years of their communication careers provided insights into how they experience professional relationships in the workplace in relation to leadership advancement. Inductive coding, a feminist organizational communication lens and literature on mentorship and role modeling was used to explore the standpoint of these young women. Findings Young women understand that professional relationships are necessary for acclimation and professional development. Our analysis revealed an intersection of three distinct ways these relationships help young women cultivate a strong career foundation, positioning themselves for leadership opportunities. Practical implications This study provides insight into the experiences of ECW, a group significantly overlooked by industry and research as a way to increase career equity. Findings from this study guide programmatic and socialization practices to help young women overcome barriers. Originality/value Developing a deeper understanding of women worker’s realities, this research encourages industries to regard the entire career path, emphasizing the importance of beginning socialization experiences in the workplace. It offers actionable managerial practices, and it drives a new scholarly focus on a demographic critical to closing the leadership gender gap.

Purpose Using the National Football League (NFL) concussion crisis context, the purpose of this paper is to provide sports marketers with a strategic approach to sports crisis management through consideration of crisis media coverage and organizational reputation. Design/methodology/approach An online experiment assessed the impact of two crisis response strategies, fan involvement and exposure to crisis media coverage on emotional response, corporate message credibility, crisis perception and perceived corporate reputation. Findings The accident response strategy was associated with more favorable perceptions of the NFL and corporate message credibility. Sports fan involvement facilitated more favorable perceptions of the NFL’s reputation, while exposure to media coverage of the NFL’s crisis created negative perceptions of the NFL’s reputation. Exposure to media coverage of the NFL concussion crisis increased feelings of anger, which in turn decreased perceptions of corporate message credibility. Research limitations/implications A limitation for this study is the specific crisis scenario that was used. The NFL concussion crisis is different from other crisis types in that it does not directly impact the audience’s well-being, but instead affects their perceptions of an iconic institution. Practical implications In light of study findings, it is suggested that sports marketers consider the following when dealing with crises: carefully determine proper framing methods when crafting a crisis response as different response types affect consumers in different ways; leverage public relations (PR) practices by engaging in media monitoring to inform an appropriate crisis response to control the narrative; and examine forces exernal of the organization that influence consumer emotions, paying special attention to feelings of anger as anger negatively impacts consumer perceptions of corporate credibility. Originality/value This paper addresses sports crisis strategy from both marketing and public relations perspectives. It describes how strategic efforts protect a sports organization’s reputation, thus increasing marketing effectiveness.

Career paths of entry-level professionals in media fields are more ambiguous and complex than ever before. To make a successful transition into their careers, graduates must possess career management skills; they should be career adaptable. Grounded in a social psychological approach, a survey of college students ( N = 320) examined how emotional intelligence and extracurricular involvement influences career adaptability. Journalism and mass communications students were compared to other majors along these variables to bring insight into how career management training can be implemented. Results indicated a positive relationship between emotional intelligence and career adaptability, which was enhanced by extracurricular participation.

Frequently coming from diverse and lower income backgrounds, first-generation college students (FGCS) may be a key demographic for improving the general lack of diversity that plagues the advertising industry. As such, understanding and supporting FGCS within strategic communication programs is increasingly important. Using a mixed method approach through two studies, the current investigation suggests that FGCS are more planful, organized, and focused than their non-FGCS counterparts. The absence of support and knowledge of career exploration from parents or guardians causes these students to be more self-reliant and proactive, which improves their ability to successfully self-manage their career trajectories within the advertising industry.