Career plateauing involves slower career progression and the inability to advance within an organization. This experience can leave employees feeling stuck and frustrated. Career plateauing is becoming increasingly common as job creation declines and automation continues to rise. While some research has begun to explore career plateauing and its potential links to counterproductive work behavior, the authors of this study (Jain & Chhabra, 2024) wanted to know more.
CAREER PLATEAUS AND ABUSIVE SUPERVISION
In their recent study, researchers collected data from 290 employees across four organizations. Participants first responded to survey questions on career plateauing, job embeddedness, and abusive supervision. Fifteen days later, the same participants were asked about their participation in counterproductive work behavior.
The findings revealed that employees experiencing career plateaus were more likely to engage in counterproductive work behavior when they perceived their supervisors as abusive.
More specifically, the authors considered job-embeddedness, which generally refers to the feeling of being stuck in a particular job. Career-plateaued employees with low job embeddedness retaliated against abusive supervision by increasing their counterproductive behavior.
However, employees with higher job embeddedness responded differently; they were less likely to retaliate through counterproductive work behavior and instead exhibited feelings of resignation or helplessness. This suggests that embedded employees, who rely more on their organization due to their connections and the perceived sacrifices associated with leaving, may feel trapped and less inclined to retaliate against abusive supervision.
PRACTICAL TAKEAWAYS
Given that career plateaus are an inevitable part of organizational life, it is critical for organizations to proactively address the impact these plateaus may have on employee behavior and well-being. As such, the authors recommend the following:
- Engage in regular dialogue with employees about their career interests, offering opportunities for upskilling or multiskilling to prepare them for job rotation and growth.
- Focus on embedding employees more deeply into their roles by fostering strong connections within the workplace. In addition, ensure alignment between employees and their jobs.
- Provide ongoing training to help supervisors recognize and avoid behavior that may be perceived as abusive. This may foster a healthier and more supportive workplace culture.
- Hold supervisors accountable for their role in fostering or mitigating deviant employee behavior. When employees engage in bad behavior, organizations should examine the contributing factors and address abusive supervision as a potential root cause.
Jain, V., & Chhabra, B. (2024). Career plateau and counterproductive work behaviour: A moderated moderation model of abusive supervision and job embeddedness. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 32(4), 662–680.
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