Psychological Wellbeing and Sustainable Careers: Insights from Graduates in India

Dr Nimmi P. Mohandas - Adi Shankara Business School, Kalady, India / Dr. William E. Donald, Ronin Institute, USA and University of Southampton, UK 

Emails: nimmimohandas1985@gmail.com;  w.e.donald@gmail.com    

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Abstract

In this session, we present empirical findings from 421 graduates in the Information Technology sector in India to understand the roles that a Protean Career Attitude (PCA) and Perceived Employability (PE) play in determining Psychological Wellbeing. The findings indicate that PCA positively predicts PW and that PE moderates the relationship in such a way that the relationship is stronger when PE is low. This suggests that universities should focus efforts on helping their students to take ownership of their careers as a mechanism for career sustainability across the lifespan.

The acquisition of resources can also help students in increasing their levels of PE, offering opportunities to become more resilient to chance events and career shocks when they inevitably occur during their careers. Universities subsequently gain through increased employability outcomes and associated league table rankings, which can help to attract prospective students and associated revenue. Organisations that employ graduates also gain since enhanced levels of PW can enhance workplace performance leading to organisational sustainability.

Despite the study setting being confined to India, we believe that the findings are also of interest to universities based in other countries. We look forward to sharing our findings and offering policy implications in this session.