Foreign language proficiency, career behaviors, and turnover-related outcomes: A social cognitive career theory perspective of host country national employees in foreign subsidiaries

Abstract

While the majority of employees in foreign subsidiaries are host country nationals (HCNs) who use English as a second language in their work tasks, little research focuses on the impact of English proficiency on their career-related behaviors and outcomes. This paper applies social cognitive career theory (SCCT) to link HCN employees' English proficiency to their career-related behaviors and outcomes in two time-lagged studies in foreign subsidiaries. Study 1 conducted with 542 HCN employees in the Philippines suggests that career environment exploration mediates the positive English proficiency–turnover intention relationship. Study 2 conducted with 493 HCN employees in Japan suggests self-initiated headhunter contacts to mediate the positive English proficiency–voluntary turnover relationship and job embeddedness moderate the self-initiated headhunter contact-turnover relationship.