A career with a heart: exploring occupational regret
Journal of Managerial Psychology
ISSN: 0268-3946
Article publication date: 11 June 2019
Issue publication date: 11 June 2019
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of career regret. It examines processes that give rise to it including social comparison, social influences on career choice and career satisfaction and explores its association with occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession.
Design/methodology/approach
Hypotheses were tested among 559 British cardiac physiologists, using an online survey and structural equation modelling.
Findings
Research propositions were supported; social influences and social comparison are both associated with career regret. Direct and indirect pathways were found between career regret, occupational commitment and intention to quit the profession.
Research limitations/implications
The paper provides a starting point for future career regret research using a range of methods.
Practical implications
Careers advisers both at the point of career choice and within organisations should encourage realistic occupation previews. Managers should become aware of career regret and help to mitigate its effects – for example, facilitating job crafting or reframing of experiences.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first to investigate career choice regret and its associated psychological mechanisms.
Keywords
Citation
Budjanovcanin, A., Rodrigues, R. and Guest, D. (2019), "A career with a heart: exploring occupational regret", Journal of Managerial Psychology, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 156-169. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMP-02-2018-0105
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited