The Moderating Effect of Occupational Burn-Out on the Link of Career Competencies to Career Sustainability Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Mixed-Method Study

Abstract

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most employees face increasing career-related stress, particularly those who work in multinational corporations (MNCs), because the international travel constraints prevent them from going back to their families. Hence, it is imperative to investigate the critical impact of employees’ occupational burnout (OB) on career-related outcomes. In response, this research explores the moderating effect of OB on the relationships between career competencies (CCs) and career sustainability (CS). To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of relevant issues, we adopted a mixed-method research design that includes both qualitative and quantitative analyses. Findings indicate that all the three dimensions of CCs (i.e., reflective, communicative, and behavioral career competencies; RC, CC, and BC) were positively related to CS; moreover, OB negatively moderated the individual relationships of CC and BC with CS. The main contribution of this study is to enrich the existing career literature by addressing the critical moderating role of OB in the links of CC and BC individually with CS. Practical implications are also discussed in this study.

The moderating effect of expatriate acculturation on career sustainability: Evidence from Chinese University alumni from Africa

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Intellectual capital and employee innovative behavior in cross-border e-commerce enterprises: the moderating role of career sustainability

“…Despite the successful and rapid development of China's cross-border e-commerce, it still faces bottlenecks, such as locked logistics, tight supply chains and difficulty changing delivery times and locations. Many other obstacles require new methods of cooperation (Chen et al, 2022;Zhang et al, 2022b). Cooperation between external relationship networks is conducive to knowledge sharing and decision-making (Yu et al, 2021;Khan and Khan, 2019).…”

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

“…Career shocks are increasingly common events in the contemporary work context, often triggered by ongoing labor market instability and increased work and life demands (Akkermans et al. , 2021a; Zhang et al. , 2022).…”

“…Career shocks are increasingly common events in the contemporary work context, often triggered by ongoing labor market instability and increased work and life demands (Akkermans et al, 2021a;Zhang et al, 2022). Research shows that career shocks can profoundly impact individuals' work identity and career progression (Charmaz, 1995;Hole et al, 2014;Nalis et al, 2021).…”