Birds of a feather flock together: How congruence between worker and occupational personality relates to job satisfaction over time

Ghetta, A., Hirschi, A., Wang, M., Rossier, J., & Herrmann, A. (2020). Birds of a feather flock together: How congruence between worker and occupational personality relates to job satisfaction over time. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, 103412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103412

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Abstract

Person–environment fit (P–E fit) and job satisfaction are key constructs in vocational and organizational research. Research established that they are positively related, but little is known about how they relate over time. We analyzed P–E fit as the congruence between the Big Five personality traits of a worker and of all job incumbents in the same occupation, and how this congruence relates to job satisfaction over time. Analyses were based on 7,049 participants from the German Socio-Economic Panel from 2005, 2009, and 2013. We used latent change score modeling to assess changes in congruence and job satisfaction over eight years, and further created 3D response surface plots based on polynomial regression to investigate nonlinear relations between each Big Five trait and job satisfaction. Change in P–E fit was not related to simultaneous change in job satisfaction and did not predict subsequent change in job satisfaction. The surface analyses indicated that a worker’s and an occupation’s personality are primarily independently relevant for the level of job satisfaction and that effects differ for different personality traits.

Keywords

person–environment fit, personality, job satisfaction, latent change score model, response surface analysis

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To Hangover or Not: Trajectories of Job Satisfaction in Adolescent Workforce Newcomers

Valero, D., & Hirschi, A. (2019). To hangover or not: Trajectories of job satisfaction in adolescent workforce newcomers. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 28(2), 150-163. doi:10.1080/1359432X.2018.1564278

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Abstract

The development of job satisfaction during the first months on the job often indicates ahoneymoon hangover, with high levels of job satisfaction gradually declining. This effect is often explained by disappointed expectations that are informed by previous job experiences. However, research has not established whether a hangover pattern could also be observed in individuals without previous work experience. We explored the development of job satisfaction with four assessment points across the first four months after starting vocational training among 357 Swiss adolescents. On average, a hangover pattern in job satisfaction was confirmed. Using person-centred growth mixture modelling, we identified two groups with distinct trajectories. Although a majority showed a hangover pattern, a third of participants showed stable, high job satisfaction. We presumed that adolescents with more contextual and personal resources (i.e., perceived social support, occupational self-efficacy, core self-evaluations, and perceived person–job fit) would be more likely to avoid a hangover pattern. Results confirmed that the two groups differed significantly in all these resources with the high stable satisfaction group showing higher resources. The results illustrate the importance of a diverse set of resources to facilitate a positive trajectory of job satisfaction at the beginning of work life.

Keywords: job satisfaction, newcomer socialization, growth mixture model, vocational training, social cognitive career theory; conservation of resources

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