Employee alienation: relationships with careerism and career satisfaction

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent to which employees' perceptions of alienation (personal and social) are related to positive (career satisfaction) and negative (careerist orientation) career-related outcomes and to examine the mediating role of career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach -The paper used a cross-sectional design, with questionnaires administered to 165 employees working in organizations in the USA to test the relationship between alienation and careerism through career satisfaction. Findings -Alienation was found to be a positive predictor of employee careerism, and a negative predictor of their career satisfaction. The data were consistent with a model positioning career satisfaction as a mediator of the alienation to careerism relationship. Research limitations/implications -Future research should examine the relationship between alienation and career outcomes in other organizations and job families, to enhance generalizability. Data should be also collected longitudinally, to extend the current cross-sectional design. Practical implications -Understanding the empirical link between alienation and career outcomes can provide useful information to reduce negative career outcomes. Originality/value -The findings point toward a positive relationship between employee alienation and their careerism. In doing so, the paper adds to a body of work where careerism was connected with structural rather than individual predictors.

Gender or Occupational Status: What Counts More for Well-Being at Work?

“…Since this concept refers to a psychological state of estrangement from work (Kanungo, 1979), high-status workers should show lower alienation, as they are more engaged and autonomous in their job. Actually, empirical research confirms that the professional and managerial workers are the least alienated (Banai & Reisel, 2003;Chiaburu, Diaz, & De Vos, 2013). Moreover, the status influences the perception and the experience of the structural constraints of the organization.…”

“…Moreover, the status influences the perception and the experience of the structural constraints of the organization. Indeed, the decision-making processes, which are so relevant for workers' engagement and well-being (Chiaburu et al, 2014), are strongly connected to the occupational status, as low-status workers feel a lack of job autonomy and perceive a limited freedom to have an impact on their activities (Chiaburu et al, 2013). Particular types of work situation, such as machines, assembly lines, and continuous-process production, which are prerogative of low-status occupations, show a direct association with alienation and low decision-making (McKinlay & Marcaeu, 2011).…”

Correlates of work-alienation and positive job attitudes in high- and low-status workers

“…In this sense, the decision participation fosters employees' opportunity to take ownership of their projects, which in turn increases their engagement in the organization and their task (Chiaburu, Diaz, & De Vos, 2013).…”

Impact of Turnover Intention on Loneliness and the Mediating Effect of Work Alienation

“…As one of those factors, we established that alienation from work removes the impact of loneliness on turnover intention. Work alienation occurs when an employee feels unattached and uninterested in their job (Kanten & Ülker, 2014) and such feeling is known to cause unfavorable outcomes both at the organizational and individual levels (Ceylan & Sulu, 2011;Chiaburu et al, 2013). Therefore, employers must strive to prevent employees from feeling detached from their organizations.…”

“…In this sense, work alienation represents the situation where an employee feels unattached, unconcerned and uninterested about their job (Kanten & Ülker, 2014). Such feeling of work alienation may result in adverse consequences for both the organization and employees (Ceylan & Sulu, 2011;Chiaburu, Diaz, & De Vos, 2013). …”