A Career Stage Analysis of the U.S. Federal Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention: A Comprehensive Overview

• Author: Hyung-Woo Lee
• Published date: 01 December 2020
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X19856082
• Date: 01 December 2020
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X19856082

Review of Public Personnel Administration

2020, Vol. 40(4) 717 –742

© The Author(s) 2019

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DOI: 10.1177/0734371X19856082

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Article

A Career Stage Analysis

of the U.S. Federal

Employees’ Job Satisfaction

and Turnover Intention: A

Comprehensive Overview

Hyung-Woo Lee1

Abstract

This study examines how the determinants of job satisfaction and turnover intention

are different across employee’s career stages, using a large-scale data set from U.S.

federal agencies. A comprehensive examination of career stage differences provides

a sophisticated understanding of the multifaceted nature of job satisfaction and

turnover intention factors. The trajectory of career stage differences is linear, and

the impact of career stages is rather minimal when it comes to the determinants of

job satisfaction, whereas the differences in terms of turnover intention were more

drastic and salient. Also, the patterns of career stage effect were more complicated

than proposed in the existing studies. The implications of these findings are explored

for future research and practitioners.

Keywords

job satisfaction, turnover intention, career stage, federal employee viewpoint survey

Introduction

People change over time. Levinson (1978) developed a model to clarify the process

of evolution of the psychological needs and desires through different life phases.

Applying this to the workplace, Super (1980) proposed a model of career develop-

ment to explain the process by which the aspirations of employees in organization

change across different career stages. Based on these models, scholars have

1Hannam University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea

Corresponding Author:

Hyung-Woo Lee, Hannam University, 133 Ojeong-Dong, Daeduk-Gu, Daejeon 306-791,

Republic of Korea.

Email: hwleetrojan@gmail.com

856082ROPXXX10.1177/0734371X19856082Review of Public Personnel AdministrationLee

research-article2019

718 Review of Public Personnel Administration 40(4)

investigated how the importance of job factors differs depending on the career stage

of employees. For instance, scholars have examined the career stage difference in

career decisions (Kooij, de Lange, Jansen, & Dikkers, 2008; Lam, Ng, & Feldman,

2012; McElroy, Morrow, & Wardlow, 1999), work motivation (Miao, Lund, &

Evans, 2009), commitment (A. Cohen, 1991; McElroy et al., 1999), job satisfaction

(Bedeian, Ferris, & Kacmar, 1992; Menguc & Bhuian, 2004), and work–life balance

issues (Darcy, McCarthy, Hill, & Grady, 2012; Demerouti, Peeters, & Heijden,

2012). However, we need a more comprehensive overview of the topic. Examining

the career stage difference with a focus on a single factor does not provide a bigger

picture of career stage difference. A remaining question, for example, is whether the

career stage difference will be manifested similarly for different job factors. Another

remaining question is which job factor will show more drastic career stage differ-

ences than others. To address these questions, this study examines the career stage

differences in a comprehensive set of job factors.

In the following sections, an overview of career stage theories is provided and the

hypotheses as to the different impacts of job factors across the various career stages

are suggested. Then, these hypotheses are tested using the Federal Employee Viewpoint

Survey, a large nationwide data set from the U.S. federal government. The results

contribute to the literature by providing a comprehensive understanding of the natures

and magnitudes of career stage difference, and also may give insight to practitioners to

motivate their workforce more effectively.

Theory and Hypotheses

Career Stage Model

The career stage model proposed by Super (1980) provides insight for predicting how

the antecedents to employee attitudes may change through different career stages. He

proposed that employees in the organization go through four distinct stages during

their tenure and that in each phase, employees have different career aspirations. The

first stage refers to “exploration (or trial).” Employees in this stage explore for the

possible match between their interests and competence and the current job’s condi-

tions and requirements. The second phase refers to “establishment” in which individu-

als seek to make advancements in their status in the organization. The third stage refers

to the “maintenance” phase. In this phase, the main goal of individuals is to hold onto

the accomplishment achieved earlier. The last phase is “disengagement” in which indi-

viduals attempt to develop a new self-image independent of career success.

Similarly, Levinson (1978) proposed a process model of the life cycle. His model

explains the different natures of psychological adjustment that people generally expe-

rience as they grow into advanced phases of their lives. For instance, those in early

adulthood (age of 20-40) show a psychological tendency to think deeply about their

personal identity as an independent being, whereas those in middle adulthood (age of

40-60) focus on developing their values based on the review of what they have done

in their 30s. Although Levinson’s model is about human development over the life