Psychology Research and Behavior Management (Nov 2022)
Challenge–Hindrance Stressors and Employability: The Combined Role of the Energy–Motivation Process and Organizational Investment
Abstract
Binyan Liu,1 Xun Xin,2 Xueyuan Gao,3 Lili Gao2 1School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, People’s Republic of China; 2Business School, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Economics and Management, China University of Labor Relations, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Xun Xin, Business School, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, No. 301 Baosheng Road, Yubei Distrct, Chongqing, 401120, People’s Republic of China, Tel + 86− 18911302529, Email [email protected]: This study investigates how challenge–hindrance stressors influence employability through the energy–motivation mechanism and explores the moderating role of pay satisfaction and perceived career opportunity based on the JD-R model.Methods: Three-wave time-lagged longitudinal data of 206 employees are analyzed using latent structural equation modelling.Results: First, challenge stressors have an indirect positive effect on employability, mainly through intrinsic motivation, while hindrance stressors have an indirect negative effect on employability, mainly through emotional exhaustion. Second, perceived career opportunity strengthens the positive effect of challenge stressors on intrinsic motivation, which further promotes employability. Third, pay satisfaction alleviates the negative effect of hindrance stressors on emotional exhaustion, which, in turn, inhibits the decline in employability.Conclusion: The paper clarifies the specific mediating effects of the energy and motivation mechanisms in the association between challenge–hindrance stressors and employability and the moderating effects of pay satisfaction and perceived career opportunity, thus extending studies on the challenge–hindrance stressors to career field and filling the gap in the knowledge of the boundary conditions of the energy–motivation mechanism.Keywords: challenge–hindrance stressors, employability, dual mechanism of energy and motivation, pay satisfaction, perceived career opportunity
