Uncomfortable Decisions

Some decision-making processes are uncomfortable. Many of us do not like to make significant decisions, such as whether to have a child, solely based on social science research. We do not like to choose randomly, even in cases where flipping a coin is plainly the wisest choice. We are often reluctant to defer to another person, even if we believe that the other person is wiser, and have similar reservations about appealing to powerful algorithms. And, while we are comfortable with considering and weighing different options, there is something strange about deciding solely on a purely algorithmic process, even one that takes place in our own heads.What is the source of our discomfort? We do not present a decisive theory here—and, indeed, the authors have clashing views over some of these issues—but we lay out the arguments for two (consistent) explanations. The first is that such impersonal decision-making processes are felt to be a threat to our autonomy. In all of the examples above, it is not you who is making the decision, it is someone or something else. This is to be contrasted with personal decision-making, where, to put it colloquially, you “own” your decision, though of course you may be informed by social science data, recommendations of others, and so on. A second possibility is that such impersonal decision-making processes are not seen as authentic, where authentic decision making is one in which you intentionally and knowledgably choose an option in a way that is “true to yourself.” Such decision making can be particularly important in contexts where one is making a life-changing decision of great import, such as the choice to emigrate, start a family, or embark on a major career change.

Career pathways: Q&A

A career in the early years is not just one of huge responsibility but also hugely rewarding. It is now a popular career choice for school leavers and those looking for a career change - with a recent increase in male practitioners joining the sector.

Well-being and career change intention: COVID-19’s impact on unemployed and furloughed hospitality workers

Purpose This study aims to examine the psychological distress experienced by unemployed and furloughed hospitality workers during the COVID-19 crisis and further investigate how this distress affects their career change intentions. Design/methodology/approach Derived from a sample of 607 unemployed and furloughed hospitality workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the data for this research are analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings This study reveals that unemployed and furloughed hospitality workers are financially strained, depressed, socially isolated and panic-stricken due to the pandemic’s effects. These effects lead to impaired well-being and an increased intention to leave the hospitality industry. Female and younger employees are impacted to a greater extent, while furloughed workers received fewer impacts compared to their laid-off compatriots. Research limitations/implications This study suggests that lockdown restrictions need to be implemented more deliberately, and the psychological well-being of the hospitality workforce deserves more immediate and continuing attention. It advises that hospitality businesses consider furloughs over layoffs when workforce reduction measures are necessary to combat the financial crisis. Originality/value This study adds to the current literature by examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic from the employee perspective. New insights are offered on the psychological toll of workforce reduction strategies during the financial fallout and how these distressing experiences affect career change intention.

Acceptance and Strategic Resilience: An Application of Conservation of Resources Theory

The definition of individual resilience remains ambiguous. This article responds to that ambiguity by first deriving a definition of individual resilience from conservation of resources (COR) theory. Accordingly, to the extent individuals have sufficient resources and behave according to two key principles of COR theory, they will exhibit resilience in response to significant adversity. A second development builds upon the COR distinction between resources deployed in response to adversity which are resource-preserving as distinct from resource-enhancing, which generate what are here labeled acceptance resilience and strategic resilience, respectively. It is proposed that behaviors associated with acceptance resilience support relative continuity of environments, relationships, and life goals, with strategic resilience behaviors often involving changing environments, relationships, or life goals. Acceptance resilience is related to earlier COR understandings of resilience and relevant resources, while strategic resilience requires distinct or additional resources. Individuals demonstrating the two types of resilience will diverge in terms of openness to new experiences, persistence, loss aversion, and the valuation of future resources. It is further proposed that acceptance resilience is more common than strategic resilience and that organizations which find resilience valuable will tend to support acceptance resilience, in part because strategic resilience may generate turnover in response to adversity. The analysis addresses related issues, including coping, career change, burnout, as well as teams and organizations. Implications for theory, practice, and future research conclude the work.

Significant career change to software development. A life-course perspective

T The present study, based on qualitative data, investigates the significant career change through the life-course lens. Biographical interviews were conducted with people who changed their profession and the findings were characteristically reflective and subjective, foregrounding the participants’ interpretations of their layers of reality. Different type of resources: individual (Agency), community (Networking), and society (Labour market) were taken into account and the endeavour enabled to capture the triggers involved in career change process. The distinction between voluntary and involuntary career change decision helps to understand the reasons for which the change is chosen. There are major differences between those who leave involuntary their desired profession and those who discover that they have a calling for the software development. Moreover, the results advocate for the importance of early vocational counselling. On the other hand, evidence of discrimination encountered by new programmers could be addressed by HR departments in the IT organizations

Expatriate Satisfaction and Motivation in Multinational Corporations

Employee satisfaction and motivation have an important influence on individual employees and the performance of companies. In international business and marketing, where expatriates play important roles, regional cultures and institutional factors impact their satisfaction and motivation. This chapter aims to find out what kind of regional cultures and institutions have an impact on employee satisfaction and motivation in multinational corporations (MNCs), using theoretical analysis and the results from around 100 Japanese expatriates’ questionnaires. It was possible to find the satisfaction and motivation-related characteristics of expatriates in MNCs from the results of their interviews and the questionnaire survey, which indicated that Japanese expatriates working in the USA, Singapore, and Indonesia had a higher job satisfaction degree than those working in cultural regions, such as China, Taiwan, and Australia. Moreover, the results showed that compared with other industries, in the sales and marketing industry, the Japanese expatriates had the lowest satisfaction degree after repatriation, although their satisfaction degree was higher during expatriation and after a career change. The reasons relating to regional cultures and institutions, and some methods and human resource management practices in international marketing and trading that were analyzed are expected to raise expatriates’ satisfaction and motivation.

Returns to migration after job loss—The importance of job match

Loss of specific human capital is often identified as a mechanism through which displaced workers might experience permanent drops in earnings after job loss. Research has shown that displaced workers who migrate out of their region of origin have lower earnings than those who do not. This paper extends the discussion on returns to migration by accounting for the type of jobs people get and how related they are to their skills. Using an endogenous treatment model to control for selection bias in migration and career change, we compare displaced stayers with displaced movers in Sweden. Results show that migrants who get a job that matches their occupation- and industry-specific skills display the highest earnings among all displaced workers. If migration is combined with a job mismatch, earning losses are instead observed. This group experiences the lowest earnings among all displaced workers.

‘Should I Stay, or Should I Go?’ Psychological Distress Predicts Career Change Ideation among Intensive Care Staff in Lithuania and the UK Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant effect on healthcare globally. Additional pressure created by coronavirus adversely affected the mental health and psychological well-being of healthcare workers, leading many to question their desire and willingness to continue working in healthcare. This study aimed to identify predictors for career change ideation among healthcare professionals in two countries; Lithuania and the United Kingdom amid the coronavirus pandemic. In total, 610 healthcare professionals from Lithuania and the UK (285 and 325, respectively) participated in a survey from May to August 2020. Psychological distress and psychological well-being were measured using the self-report scales “DASS-21” and “WHO-5”. Almost half of the sample (49.2%), 59.6% and 40.0% in Lithuanian and the UK, respectively, exhibited career change ideation, the country effect was significant (AOR = 2.21, p < 0.001). Stronger ideation to leave healthcare was predicted by higher levels of depression (AOR = 1.10, p = 0.005), stress (AOR = 1.10, p = 0.007), anxiety surrounding inadequate personal protective equipment (AOR = 2.27, p = 0.009), and lower psychological well-being scores (AOR = 1.10, p = 0.007). We conclude that psychosocial support must be provided for healthcare professionals to prevent burnout and loss of staff amid the pandemic.