Social Comparison on Social Media Increases Career Frustration: A Focus on the Mitigating Effect of Companionship

Social media has become a platform for the daily exchange of information. Although some studies have explored the role and influence of social media on career development, few have examined how daily social media use impacts individuals’ perceptions and emotions regarding their careers. The present study examined this issue using two surveys. We predicted that social comparison would mediate the link between social media usage and its psychological impact. Moreover, we hypothesized that the impact would be mitigated by social interactions (companionship). Study 1 (a self-reported survey that included 309 Japanese employees) demonstrated that viewing other users’ positive posts about their careers could lead to career frustration through social comparison. Concurrently, this study revealed that daily casual interaction with others reduced career frustration. Study 2 was based on an analysis of 1,254 responses obtained from a 7-day experience sampling method survey. It revealed that viewing other people’s career-related posts was associated with upward, downward, and non-directional social comparison. In turn, upward social comparison evoked career frustration at both between- and within-person levels, while downward comparison decreased career frustration at a between-person level. Similar to Study 1, the results of Study 2 indicated that career frustration was mitigated by casual communication with others. Both studies provide evidence that (1) daily social media use affects one’s perception and feelings about their career through social comparison, and (2) career frustration evoked through virtual interactions with others is mitigated by casual interactions in a face-to-face setting.

Reflecting on Success in Difficult Times: A Key to Enhance Proactivity and Employability

Employability and proactivity are believed to be key factors for survival in uncertain and unpredictable environments. Despite the related importance of continuous learning, little is known how learning-related factors enhance employability and proactivity. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of reflection in enhancing perceived employability and proactive behavior in turbulent conditions, drawing on positive psychology. A two-wave survey of Japanese employees ( n = 408) was conducted during a pandemic period of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Results of a structural equation model show that reflection on success had positive direct and indirect effects on perceived employability mediated through proactive behavior, while reflection on failures had no significant effect on perceived employability and proactive behavior. The findings extend prior research on employability and proactivity by examining the role of learning-related cognitive factors based on the broaden-and-build theory.

The Forgotten Ones: Crafting for Meaning and for Affiliation in the Context of Finnish and Japanese Employees' Off-Job Lives

In an intensifying working life, it is important for employees to proactively shape their lives beyond work to create opportunities for satisfying personal needs. These efforts can be beneficial for creating and sustaining well-being in terms of vitality. In this study, we focused on off-job crafting (OJC) for meaning and OJC for affiliation, conceptualized as proactive changes in off-job life with the aim of increasing satisfaction of needs for meaning and affiliation, among employees in Finland and Japan, two countries with disparate cultural values. We examined longitudinal within-person relationships between the two OJC dimensions and vitality, as well as the relationships between OJC and contextual variables, such as age and gender. We conducted a longitudinal study over 6 months with three measurement points. A total of 578 Finnish and 228 Japanese employees participated in the study. Hypotheses were tested with latent growth analysis. Increases in OJC for meaning and for affiliation were mostly positively related to increases in vitality over time in both countries. In Finland, age was positively related to OJC for meaning. In Japan, age was negatively related to OJC for meaning, but the female gender was positively related to OJC for affiliation. Focusing on increasing meaning and affiliation in off-job life can be beneficial strategies for employees to feel positively energized. The role of contextual variables and culture in OJC should be examined further in future studies.

Investigating the effect of idiosyncratic deals in Asian countries: A cross cultural analysis in Singapore, Thailand and Japan

The purpose of this study is to empirically compare and contrast the relationship between several dimensions of idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) and employee affective commitment among Asian countries. Data were collected from 909 employees in Singapore, Thailand and Japan. Results of the study show that there is a positive relationship between several i-deals and affective commitment. However, the effect size of i-deals on each dimension varies across the three countries. In particular, the effect size of task and work responsibilities i-deals on the affective commitment of Japanese employees is stronger than that of Thai employees. Simultaneously, the effect size of the i-deals on affective commitment of Singaporean employees is weaker than that of Thai employees. On the contrary, for the dimensions of schedule and location flexibility and financial incentives, the effect size of i-deals on affective commitment is weaker for Singaporean than for Japanese and Thai, and the effect sizes for Japanese and Thai are the same. The results of this study question the traditionally and universally naive conclusion that i-deals are effective. Although i-deals result in, to some extent, some positive consequences, the results of the study suggest that not in all cases do they increase employee affective commitment. Empirical evidence of the study also demonstrate that the effects i-deals had on employee affective commitment are inconsistent even across cultures with close cultural origin.