When is the grass greener on the other side? A longitudinal study of the joint effect of occupational mobility and personality on the honeymoon-hangover experience during job change

TY - JOUR

T1 - When is the grass greener on the other side? A longitudinal study of the joint effect of occupational mobility and personality on the honeymoon-hangover experience during job change

AU - Zhou, Ying

AU - Wu, Chia Huei

AU - Zou, Min

AU - Williams, Mark

N1 - Funding Information: This study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council under the Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (grant number: ES/S008470/1). When the research first started, Dr. Chaihuei Wu was employed at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Dr. Min Zou was employed at Bain & Company and Dr. Mark Williams was employed at the University of Surrey. They have continued working on the project since moving to their current institutions. Funding Information: This study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council under the Secondary Data Analysis Initiative (grant number: ES/S008470/1). Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Organizational Behavior published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

PY - 2021/5

Y1 - 2021/5

N2 - Previous research shows that job satisfaction often increases sharply upon initial entry into the new job and gradually falls back to the baseline level over time. In this study, we propose that this ‘honeymoon-hangover’ pattern is affected by both the direction of occupational mobility and the individual's personality in terms of extraversion and neuroticism. Drawing on the British Household Panel Survey that followed 10,000 individuals annually for 18 years, this study shows that only those who move up the occupational class ladder experience significant ‘honeymoon’ effects, while those who move downwards experience dissatisfaction that lasts for several years after the transition. While the positive effect of upward mobility is not amplified by extraversion, the negative effect of downward mobility is exacerbated by neuroticism. This study highlights the importance of taking into account both situational and dispositional factors for understanding the long-term impact of career change on subjective well-being.

AB - Previous research shows that job satisfaction often increases sharply upon initial entry into the new job and gradually falls back to the baseline level over time. In this study, we propose that this ‘honeymoon-hangover’ pattern is affected by both the direction of occupational mobility and the individual's personality in terms of extraversion and neuroticism. Drawing on the British Household Panel Survey that followed 10,000 individuals annually for 18 years, this study shows that only those who move up the occupational class ladder experience significant ‘honeymoon’ effects, while those who move downwards experience dissatisfaction that lasts for several years after the transition. While the positive effect of upward mobility is not amplified by extraversion, the negative effect of downward mobility is exacerbated by neuroticism. This study highlights the importance of taking into account both situational and dispositional factors for understanding the long-term impact of career change on subjective well-being.

KW - adaptation

KW - job satisfaction

KW - occupational mobility

KW - personality

KW - well-being

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85103396442&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/job.2491

DO - 10.1002/job.2491

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85103396442

SN - 0894-3796

VL - 42

SP - 551

EP - 566

JO - Journal of Organizational Behavior

JF - Journal of Organizational Behavior

IS - 4

ER -