Journal of Applied Psychology最新文献

The evolving workplace dynamics make it difficult for organizations to meet the customized learning needs of newcomers through standardized socialization programs. Consequently, attention has shifted toward leveraging newcomer proactivity as another pathway for facilitating newcomer learning. However, it remains unclear whether and when newcomer proactive personality can produce desired learning outcomes as organizational socialization tactics. We conducted a meta-analysis encompassing 85 independent samples (N = 24,293) to directly address this issue. Our findings indicate that proactive personality accounts for additional variance in newcomer learning outcomes beyond organizational socialization tactics. Importantly, the relative effectiveness of newcomer proactive personality compared to organizational socialization tactics is less salient among veteran (vs. neophyte) newcomers and in higher (vs. lower) individualistic cultures. Our findings also show that newcomer proactive behaviors serve as the crucial mechanism linking organizational socialization tactics and newcomer proactive personality to individual learning outcomes. Implications for how to facilitate newcomer learning are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Investigating early turnover among organizational newcomers, our study reveals how excessive communications with fellow newcomers during initial entry significantly increase departure risk. Through analyzing daily behavioral data of communications between 8,043 newcomers and nearly 20,000 existing employees in a high-tech firm, we demonstrate that when newcomers spend a disproportionate amount of their early communications with cohort newcomers rather than established employees, they face elevated turnover risk. By integrating first impression research with network theory, we show how these early communication patterns trigger self-reinforcing dynamics that shape newcomers' structural position within the organization. We introduce the concept of "core embeddedness" to explain how initial network choices affect turnover decisions, finding that the critical window for effective socialization is considerably shorter than previously understood-with the first 10 days being particularly decisive. Supplementary analyses reveal that interunit newcomer communications are especially problematic for core embeddedness and subsequent turnover. These insights challenge conventional assumptions about cohort-based socialization, demonstrating how seemingly supportive peer communications can paradoxically constrain organizational integration through homophily effects, with important implications for contemporary workforce retention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Employee referrals are commonly used by organizations due to their numerous benefits. However, it remains unclear how organizational incumbents, who are uninvolved in the hiring process, perceive and react to referral beneficiaries. Although traditional views suggest that the presence of a referral signals merit, incumbents' perceptions may differ. We theorize that incumbents are more likely to perceive referral beneficiaries as less merited than nonreferred employees due to perceived legitimacy concerns stemming from a simplified view that reliance on network contacts de facto compensates for lower qualifications. Drawing on equity theory, we then theorize that lower merit perceptions lead to less positive and more negative behaviors toward referral beneficiaries as an attempt to restore the equilibrium between beneficiaries' perceived inputs (e.g., driven by perceived lower merit) and outputs (e.g., being on payroll). Sampling employees from industries in which referrals are normative (Study 1a) and from a cultural context that is positively predisposed toward referrals (Study 1b) confirmed our theorizing. In a subsequent study, aiming to enhance the generalizability of our findings, we found supporting evidence for perceived equity violations, leading incumbents to engage in corrective behaviors toward referral beneficiaries (Study 2). Finally, testing our hypotheses more conservatively, we found that negative attributions toward referral beneficiaries persisted even when the referred employees had demonstrated high performance, thereby underscoring the robustness of our findings (Study 3). This article elucidates important unintended consequences of one of the most widely used recruitment methods-employee referrals-and draws implications for both theory and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Pay range transparency laws, which require employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings, have gained traction as a strategy for narrowing the gender pay gap by strengthening workers' access to pay information. However, these policies often give employers considerable latitude in setting how wide or narrow those ranges are, raising questions about whether certain implementations might inadvertently sustain-or even exacerbate-existing wage disparities. Our research addresses this issue by examining how the width of disclosed pay ranges influences women's and men's job application and negotiation behaviors and whether providing more clarity around typical salary outcomes can mitigate these unintended consequences. Across four studies-encompassing a large archival data set (Study 1), surveys and field experiments with prospective and actual job seekers (Studies 2 and 3), and an experimental intervention (Study 4)-we consistently find that women exhibit a stronger preference for jobs with narrower pay ranges than men, largely driven by women's higher risk aversion. Moreover, choosing narrower pay ranges is associated with less assertive negotiation behaviors, suggesting a path through which pay range disclosures may perpetuate gender gaps in compensation. By providing explicit information about the typical starting salary and the criteria used to determine final offers, we show that organizations can reduce these effects and support more equitable outcomes, offering practical insights for policymakers and employers aiming to ensure that pay transparency fulfills its aim of closing, rather than reinforcing, the gender wage gap. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Despite research on the workplace challenges of pregnancy, there has been notable inattention toward those struggling to become pregnant-women experiencing infertility (one of the most stressful and life-altering experiences women endure that affects around 13% of women of childbearing age). From the perspective of transactional stress theory, a coping response that addresses the cause of infertility (assisted reproductive technology treatment, ART) should reduce anxiety. However, for millions of working women coping with infertility via treatment, their anxiety persists, with consequences for occupational prestige and income. This divergence between scholarly consensus on coping and the lived experience reflects a puzzle with theoretical, practical, and societal implications. To reconcile this, we explain that the consensus is misaligned with the fundamental tenets of transactional stress theory. We posit that the cost of treatment creates a context whereby its efficacy for coping is hindered-a phenomenon called financial toxicity. We hypothesize that insurance may detoxify infertility treatment and reduce anxiety as predicted. Across two studies (an Australian longitudinal panel data set [N = 2,728] and a cross-sectional U.S. survey [N = 192]), we triangulate tests of our hypotheses and find support for our arguments. We discuss implications for transactional stress theory and illustrate how scholars can expand their conceptualization of coping to consider its potential toxicity. We further call attention to the critical societal and public policy implications of our findings, and we provide a roadmap with clear and actionable solutions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Although research has identified the negative experiences and attitudes of individuals currently holding dirty jobs, it remains unclear whether holding these jobs relates to future career outcomes for individuals once they leave their dirty work roles. Drawing on the public and self-stigma model, we argue the outcomes of dirty work do not cease after employees exit dirty jobs but extend to predict future career success. We tested our hypotheses using a multidecade nationally representative longitudinal sample, a simulated hiring experiment, and a qualitative study of previous dirty workers. The results indicate individuals with career histories that included dirty work experience both public and self-stigma, which relates to lower income and prestige in future jobs as well as a higher likelihood and longer length of unemployment between jobs, compared to individuals with no previous dirty jobs. Moreover, the negative associations with individuals' future career outcomes were shown to be stronger with greater amounts of dirty work experience previously accumulated throughout their careers (i.e., the number of prior dirty jobs, total length of dirty work, dirtiness of jobs held). These findings suggest deleterious outcomes of holding dirty work remain even after employees leave those roles, shedding light on the enduring associations between stigmatized work experiences and individuals' future career success. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Working parents constitute a substantial segment of the workforce. Nevertheless, misconceptions surrounding how parental role impacts working parents, particularly working mothers, have perpetuated stigma and workplace discrimination. To better understand the contributions of parents in professional contexts, we developed the construct of family-centered symbolic meaning of work (FCSMW), which captures individuals' cognitive orientation to construe work meaning through its symbolic relevance to family. Specifically, it refers to individuals' perception of their work as a vehicle for expressing their professional ethics and principles to their family and serving as role models. We then draw upon self-construal theory to theorize that, in comparison to nonparents, working parents are more likely to develop higher FCSMW. We further posit that the positive association between parental status and FCSMW is more pronounced for women than for men. Additionally, we argue that FCSMW positively correlates with employees' display of exemplary behaviors at work, such as increased work effort and organizational citizenship behavior. Finally, we propose that the indirect effects of parental status on work outcomes via FCSMW are stronger for women than men. To assess our proposed model, we first developed and validated a scale for measuring FCSMW. We then tested our hypotheses using three sets of data: two multisource, field samples from China, and one field sample from the United States, all of which supported our hypotheses. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Existing research implicitly assumes that disclosing one's positive events-known as capitalization-is socially valuable in the workplace because such events are work-related and therefore relevant to coworkers and organizational goals. Indeed, management research has focused on how disclosers of positive work events and their coworkers feel about themselves. Broadening the focus of workplace capitalization to disclosure of positive nonwork events, which we refer to as nonwork-work interpersonal capitalization, we draw from boundary theory to investigate whether disclosers gain and/or lose social value at work because such capitalization is evaluated against normative expectations around the work-nonwork boundary. Specifically, we theorize that nonwork-work interpersonal capitalization carries mixed reputational implications for disclosers in terms of how they are evaluated by coworkers (i.e., perceived as other-focused and/or distracted from work) and, in turn, how coworkers spread evaluative information of disclosers to others (i.e., in terms of positive and/or negative workplace gossip about disclosers). Moreover, we propose that such reputational implications will be moderated by the discloser's workplace status. We test our model using a source- and time-separated field study (Study 1) and an experimental causal chain design (Study 2). Both studies showed that disclosers of positive nonwork events are more likely to be perceived as other-focused and thereby become targets of positive gossip. Across both studies, the effect of nonwork-work interpersonal capitalization on being perceived as distracted was stronger for lower status employees, who in turn were more likely to be gossiped about negatively. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Disability bias is ingrained in how individuals speak, and its impact can be widespread. When biased language is used in recruitment, it could impact application rates of diverse and qualified applicants. This article examines the prevalence and impact of biased (ableist) and inclusive (equal employment opportunity [EEO] and accommodation statements) language on individuals with and without disabilities. In Study 1, a content analysis of 1886 job ads found that ableist language was present in 84.09% of the job ads, whereas EEO and accommodation statements were only present in 19.25% and 9.28% of job ads, respectively. Study 2 examined the effect of biased and inclusive language and found that individuals with and without disabilities were (a) negatively affected by ableist language and (b) positively affected by EEO and accommodation statements. Ableist language was associated with lower perceptions of person-organization fit and intentions to apply. In contrast, EEO and accommodation statements were associated with higher intentions to apply. Accommodation statements were also associated with increased fit perceptions. These effects were more pronounced for individuals with disabilities. Study 3 sought to replicate these results while manipulating the desirability of jobs through pay levels. Ableist language continued to have a negative impact on fit and likelihood to apply, and EEO and accommodation statements maintained a positive impact. However, unlike Study 2, these effects were not stronger for those with physical disabilities. This research demonstrates the negative effects of ableist language in recruitment materials and the positive effect of EEO and accommodation statements. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

In recent years, research on workplace envy has expanded beyond its traditional focus on peer-to-peer envy to examine the envy felt by supervisors toward their subordinates (termed as "downward envy"). We contribute to this emerging research stream by examining the emotional and behavioral reactions of employees who are targets of such downward envy, as well as the relational consequences that follow. We tested our model, which is based on the appraisal theory of emotions, across two studies-a multisource, multiphase field study and a vignette-based experimental study-that offer converging evidence in its support. Aligned with our theory, we found that employees appraise downward envy as a relational threat to, or a relational opportunity for, their leader-member exchange relationship, which results in the emotions of relationship anxiety and hope, respectively. These emotions, in turn, elicit contrasting employee behaviors toward the supervisor: anxiety motivates avoidance, while hope encourages approach-oriented citizenship behaviors, which, respectively, have a negative and positive effect on the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship. Furthermore, employees' sense of power with respect to their supervisor was found to mitigate the anxiety-based pathway but played a limited role in influencing the hope-based pathway. Our research advances the nascent literature on downward envy and leader-member exchange instability and also offers practical insights for managing downward envy in organizations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).