Nonwork orientations are related to higher career and life satisfaction

When planning a career, many people take nonwork orientations into account, such as family, personal interests and civic engagement. Our team has conducted a study among over 500 employees in German and found that people who strongly consider the role of the family in career planning report more satisfaction with their career and their lives in general. Surprisingly, nonwork orientations also showed no negative effects on earnings.

Read the full media release at the University of Bern Media Relations Website

Hirschi, A., Herrmann, A., Nagy, N., & Spurk, D. (2016). All in the name of work? Nonwork orientations as predictors of salary, career satisfaction, and life satisfaction. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 95–96, 45-57, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2016.07.006.

What does it mean to be successful in your career?

Subjective career success pertains to the personal meaning of success in one's career. Based on interviews and statistical analyses of questionnaires the authors of a recent study identified that people commonly state eight different dimensions that constitute subjective career success: having a sense of authenticity in one's work, experiencing growth and development in one' career, exerting influence on others and the organization, doing meaningful work, having a personal life besides one's career, doing high quality work, getting recognition for one's work, and being overall satisfied with one's career in general. The study also showed that these aspects of career success are positively related to overall life satisfaction. In sum, the study shows that career success entails many aspects and is important for overall well-being. 

Journal of Organizational Behavior