Strategic Career Behaviours Among Remote Workers: A Comparison based on Country- Level Individualism vs Collectivism

This research aimed to analyse differences in strategic career behaviours among remote workers in Europe based on their resident country’s Individualism/Collectivism cultural values index. The model included autonomy, balance and challenge as Strategic Career Behaviours; the Perceived Self-Efficacy, Desire for Career Control and Perceived Organizational Support as antecedents; and Perceived Career Control, objective and Subjective Career Success, and Career Satisfaction as consequents of these behaviours. Participated in this study 739 employees (Male = 442, 59.8%), with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years old (M = 27.64; SD = 8.48), organized in two groups, delineated by their residence country’s score on Hofstede’s Individualism scale (Low [< 50] = 286, 38.7%; Range = [27, 89]). Results indicate that differences between the low (LIHC) and high (HILC) individualism groups were minimal. Regression analyses indicate significant paths between most variables, with Perceived Organizational Support predicting Perceived Self-Efficacy and Career Satisfaction for both groups. However, Perceived Organizational Support does not significantly predict career behaviours and Perceived Career Control for the LIHC group, but does so for the HILC group, explaining only a small portion of variance. The mediation analysis suggests that Strategic Career Behaviours mediate the relationship between Desire for Career Control and Perceived Career Control. Additionally, for the HILC group, Perceived Organizational Support and Perceived Self-Efficacy remain significant predictors of Perceived Career Control, with partial mediation by the Strategic Career Behaviours. On the other hand, only Perceived Self-Efficacy remains a significant predictor for the LIHC group, and Perceived Organizational Support has weaker effects on Career Satisfaction and Perceived Career Control. Findings suggest that cultural differences play a significant role, with individuals in LIHC cultures placing more importance on organizational support for career satisfaction and control. The paper concludes by highlighting the need for further analysis to understand the unique aspects of cultural differences that may affect the impact remote work has on career management.