Does Having a Low or High Level of Career Calling Make a Difference in One’s Career, Work, And Life?

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how individual (self-reflection, insight, and life satisfaction), career (engagement and adaptability), and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflict) resources are associated with levels of career calling among Brazilian workers. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study addressed the primary data of 527 Brazilian workers aged between 21 and 77 (M=42.5; SD=11.5). The results indicate significant differences between the variables analyzed. Workers with an increased level of career calling showed significant associations with meaningful work, adaptability, career engagement, life, and job satisfaction. However, associations in the group of workers with a low level of career calling were only found with meaningful work, job satisfaction, and career engagement. This study provides normative values for interpreting the scores obtained in the adapted version of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale and external evidence regarding its correlates in Brazil.

Keywords:
career calling; career; work; professional development

Resumo

O objetivo deste estudo foi explorar como recursos individuais (autorreflexão, insight e satisfação com a vida), de carreira (engajamento e adaptabilidade) e de trabalho (trabalho significativo, satisfação laboral e conflito trabalho-família) associam-se aos níveis de chamados ocupacionais em trabalhadores no Brasil. Foi realizado um estudo quantitativo, descritivo com corte transversal e coleta de dados primários com 527 trabalhadores brasileiros com idades entre 21 e 77 anos (M = 42,5; DP = 11,5). Os resultados indicaram diferenças significativas entre as variáveis analisadas, com destaque para o grupo de trabalhadores com níveis altos de chamados. Neste grupo, houve associações proeminentes entre trabalho significativo, adaptabilidade, engajamento na carreira, satisfação laboral e com a vida. Por outro lado no grupo de trabalhadores com níveis baixos de chamados houve associações apenas entre trabalho significativo, satisfação laboral e engajamento na carreira. Este estudo fornece valores normativos para a interpretação dos escores da versão adaptada da Escala de Chamados e levanta evidências externas acerca dos seus correlatos no Brasil.

Palavras-chave:
chamados ocupacionais; carreira; trabalho; desenvolvimento profissional

1. Introduction

Contemporary research has identified that the so-called occupational skills are a set of unique skills an individual possesses, which have multiple goals, including that of satisfying internal motivations (self-realization and achievement of personal and professional goals) and external motivations (pro-social behaviors) in addition to moral duty, social need, or fulfilling the legacy of one's family, all rooted in a deep individual meaning (Dik & Shimizu, 2019; Lysova et al., 2019; Vianello et al., 2020). Career calling is a complex construct, one which basically implies that an individual who identifies himself/herself with a sense of vocation seeks and chooses a career less for financial gain, personal advancement, or social status, but rather because of a deeper meaning, a professional purpose that only the individual him or herself can specify (Dik & Shimizu, 2019; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Vianello et al., 2020).

According to scientific theoretical consensus, career calling is a multidimensional construct with affective, motivational, and spiritual facets related to the identity of the relationship between individuals and specific domains of life or work (Vianello et al., 2018). Having a calling implies being aware of a path that leads to meaningful and satisfying professional self-fulfillment. Using a broad concept to measure the career-calling components increase the generalization of results for other work and career-related phenomena, enabling a detailed analysis of other variables (Dobrow et al., 2019). However, there has yet to be an agreement on its main dimensions (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). In general, one-dimension scales are the most frequently found in the literature and, consequently, are the most frequently used to measure career calling (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). However, these scales do not fully capture the central concepts, resulting in a restricted view of the construct (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019).

The Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale - UMCS (Vianello et al., 2018) is the most comprehensive instrument measuring the main concepts (classic, modern, and neoclassical) and dimensions of career calling (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). This measure was developed in samples of Italian college students (N = 5,886) and adult workers (N = 205) (Vianello et al., 2018). Later, it was adapted for the American (Vianello et al., 2018) and Brazilian contexts (Zanotelli & De Andrade, 2023. The Brazilian version,Escala de Chamados Ocupacionais(Zanotelli & De Andrade, 2023), presented even better adjustment indexes with a seven-factor structure, corroborating its original version (Vianello et al., 2018) while also presenting sex invariance. Furthermore, it presented satisfactory external evidence with work and career constructs such as meaningful work, protean career orientation, job satisfaction, life satisfaction, and workaholism (Zanotelli & De Andrade, 2023). In short, the Brazilian version assesses career calling considering the following dimensions: passion, sacrifice, transcendent summons, prosocial orientation, pervasiveness, purposefulness, and identification.

Based on contemporary career scenarios, exploring the complexities involved with the intensity with which people interpret their callings requires considering how different cultural contexts shape the workers’ experiences and levels of callings (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Li et al., 2021; Lysova et al., 2019). This identification would allow a more contextualized understanding of callings (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Lysova et al., 2019). Therefore, verifying how the career calling construct and its correlates behave is important. Likewise, using appropriate and validated scales in such a context is also relevant to obtaining more accurate results. For example, to compare an individual’s score and the normative behavior verified in the total sample of respondents. In this sense, this study aimed to explore how individual (self-reflection, insight, and satisfaction with life), career (engagement and adaptability), and work resources (meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflict) are associated with different levels of career calling among Brazilian workers.

According to Duffy et al. (2018), when studying career calling, one should first address its repercussions in the individuals’ lives and careers. Additionally, the career-calling construct considers the focus on meaningful work, that is, it is full of positive meanings permeated by individual goals and professional aspirations (Duffy et al., 2018; Felix & Papaleo, 2021; Lysova et al., 2019). Additionally, the literature seldom explores the levels of career calling and their different manifestations in life, work, and contemporary careers inside and outside organizations (Hirschi et al., 2019; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Li et al., 2021; Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). Therefore, among the theoretical and practical contributions, this study enables presenting reference values (normative values) to interpret the scores obtained with the Brazilian version of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale. Additionally, it provides external evidence of career calling correlates in the career field among Brazilian workers. Thus, seven hypotheses are proposed to guide this study.

1.1. Occupational Callings

In general, career calling plays a central role in an individual’s identity. Having a higher calling implies being passionate about one’s work or considering it an intrinsically pleasant occupation, a life purpose, or a mission (Dobrow & Tosti-Kharas, 2011; Soares et al., 2023). In this sense, a calling can only be perceived by the individual him/herself when it concerns a belief in a particular type of work (Soares et al., 2023), or experienced, when it concerns being involved in a job that fulfills such a calling (Soares et al., 2023).

The Brazilian studies addressing career calling refer to the enhancement of job satisfaction among entrepreneurs who experience their work as a calling ( Nunes & Felix, 2019); the adverse effects on an individual’s life and career when not pursuing one’s calling (Felix & Cavazotte, 2019); the different meanings experienced by veterinarians during their careers (Felix et al., 2022); and the effects of career calling on workers’ employability (Felix & Papaleo, 2021), life, career (Felix & Blulm, 2020), and health (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Silva Filho et al., 2021).

Among the results relating career calling with personal and organizational constructs in the Brazilian context, having a calling was positively related to work engagement (Felix & Blulm, 2020); life satisfaction (Felix & Blulm, 2020); job satisfaction (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Soares et al., 2023); self-efficacy (Soares et al., 2023); and was negatively related with intention to quit a job (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Soares et al., 2023); burnout, and stress (Silva Filho et al., 2021).

Studies addressing career calling are increasingly concerned with its predictors, correlates, and consequences (Dalla Rosa et al., 2017; Felix & Papaleo, 2021; Praskova et al., 2015). For example, individuals with an increased level of career calling are also more confident about themselves and their professional choices (Hirschi & Herrmann, 2013). Therefore, self-reflection processes are thought to help individuals to better understand their professional choices and paths (Hirschi & Herrmann, 2013). Additionally, callings are more likely to occur among individuals who see their careers more clearly and feel more connected to their work (Dobrow & Tosti-Kharas, 2011; Hirschi & Herrmann, 2012, 2013). Thus, we suggest that:

H1: A high level of career calling is positively associated with self-reflection and insight among Brazilian workers.

Additionally, perceiving one’s work as a calling has been fundamental for individuals to achieve life satisfaction (Douglass et al., 2016; Hagmaier & Abele, 2015; Praskova et al., 2014; Vianello et al., 2020; Yang & Liu, 2021). Having a purpose in life is one of the essential characteristics of callings, which people perceive as the actual value and meaning of human existence (Duffy et al., 2016, 2018; Felix & Blulm, 2020). Therefore, we propose that:

H2: A high level of career calling is positively associated with life satisfaction among Brazilian workers.

Individuals with a calling are also more likely to consider their work meaningful (Hirschi, 2012; Li et al., 2021) and experience job satisfaction (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Lazar et al., 2016; Soares et al., 2023; Xie et al., 2016), besides experiencing fewer work-family conflicts (Dobrow et al., 2019; Xu & Liu, 2019). Furthermore, a recent study addressed Chinese teachers and verified that those with high levels of career calling were more likely to view their work as meaningful and satisfying (Li et al., 2021). These findings also indicate that actively pursuing one’s calling is closely associated with a more meaningful and satisfying job among people who experience a strong calling in their careers (Li et al., 2021). In other words, job satisfaction, meaning, and attachment seem to increase when one’s career is considered a calling (Duffy & Dik, 2013; 2016; 2017; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Soares et al., 2023). Thus, having an increased level of career calling may be associated with achieving meaningful work and job satisfaction. Therefore, we propose that:

H3: A high level of career calling is positively associated with meaningful work among Brazilian workers.

H4: A high level of career calling is positively associated with job satisfaction among Brazilian workers.

Additionally, a calling is positively related to psychological well-being and fewer conflicts between work and family (Lysova et al., 2019). For example, in a study addressing Chinese pilots, having a career calling mitigated the adverse effects of work-family conflicts on these pilots’ performance in the air force (Xu & Liu, 2019). Hence, seeing one’s work as a calling may lead to a more balanced life when facing home and professional demands (Xu & Liu, 2019), favoring these individuals’ psychological well-being. Therefore, we propose that:

H5: A high level of career calling is positively associated with fewer work-family conflicts among Brazilian workers.

Additionally, the results of callings have been associated with the outcomes of different contemporary career topics, such as the effectiveness of choices, planning, and career flexibility (Felix & Papaleo, 2021; Soares et al., 2023). Studies indicate that individuals with a calling are more likely to pursue education in their calling domain because they are more focused on their goals (Dobrow & Tosti-Kharas, 2011). Hall and Chandler (2005) also noted that when work is considered a calling, individuals focus on, and make the efforts necessary to achieve their goals. Hence, a strong calling motivates individuals to engage themselves in their careers and fulfill their callings (Dobrow & Tosti-Kharas, 2011; Xie et al., 2016). According to studies by Hirschi (2012) and Xie et al. (2016), career calling predicts career engagement among working adults. Hence, we suggest that:

H6: A high level of career calling is positively associated with career engagement among Brazilian workers.

Regarding career flexibility, studies show that career adaptability has shown to be a critical strategy for managing changes and adversities in the world of work, especially concerning economic prospects (Dumulescu et al., 2015; Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). According to Praskova et al. (2014), career calling increases career adaptability when facing challenges in the labor market globalization process, including among college students facing the current market (Dumulescu et al., 2015). On the other hand, Lysova et al. (2019) also notes that callings may decrease career adaptability among workers who consider the self-defining and immutable nature of their calling, thereby excluding other professional alternatives. These findings support the notion that a calling drives individuals to anticipate changes in their careers to keep pursuing their calling, thus facing the challenges emerging in their professional trajectories (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019). Therefore, we suggest that:

H7: A high level of career calling is positively associated with career adaptability among Brazilian workers.

2. Method

A quantitative survey was performed with a convenience sample (non-probability sampling).

2.1. Participants

The convenience sample comprised 527 participants: 322 women (61% women) and 205 men (39% men), aged between 21 and 77 (M=42.5, SD=11.5), residents from the Southeast (65.9%), South (13.0%), Midwest (9.3%), Northeast (9.1%) and North (2.7%) regions of Brazil. Among the participants, 42.9% were married, 29.2% were single, 12.7% were in a stable relationship, 12.7% were divorced, and 2.5% were classified as other. Regarding education, 75.0% had a graduate degree, 16.7% had an undergraduate degree, 8.0% had completed high school, and only 0.3% reported solely elementary school. Regarding family income, 63.7% had a monthly income above R$5,725.00, and of the professionals interviewed, 54.2% were health professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, psychologists), 12.0% were military firefighters and lifeguards, 9.8% were education professionals (e.g., teachers, pedagogues), and 24.0% had other professions.

2.2. Instruments

a) Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale (Zanotelli & De Andrade, 2023). Initially developed by Vianello et al. (2018), this scale consists of 28 items that were adapted and validated for the Brazilian population and then distributed into 7 dimensions: passion (e.g., “I am passionate about my work”; α=0.85, ω=0.86 and composite reliability=0.86), sacrifice (e.g., “I would keep working, even in the face of severe obstacles”; α=0.90, ω=0.91 and composite reliability=0.88), transcendent summons (e.g., “I am pursuing this line of work because I believe I was called upon to do what I do”; α=0.94, ω=0.94 and composite reliability=0.94), prosocial orientation (e.g., “Meeting the needs of society is an important part of my work”; α=0.89, ω=0.90 and composite reliability=0.91), pervasiveness (e.g., “Even when I am not working, I often think about it”; α=0.88, ω=0.89 and composite reliability=0.85), purposefulness (e.g., “I believe that my work is a path to reach my purpose in life”); α=0.90, ω=0.90 and composite reliability=0.92), and identity (e.g., “My work will always be part of my life”; α=0.87, ω=0.87 and composite reliability=0.85). The items are rated on a Likert scale ranging from 1=Strongly Disagree to 7=Strongly Agree. The scale’s general score was adopted in this study.

b) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Work as Meaning Inventory (Zanotelli et al., 2022). Its ten items (e.g., “I have found a meaningful career”; α=0.93, ω=0.94 and composite reliability=0.94) are rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1= Strongly Disagree to 5= Strongly Agree).

c) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (Audibert & Teixeira, 2015). It comprises 24 items distributed into four dimensions: concern (e.g., “Preparing for the future”; α=0.88), control (e.g., “Keeping upbeat”; α=0.83), curiosity (e.g., “Exploring my surroundings”; α=0.88) and confidence (e.g., “Solving problems”; α=0.89), rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1=I performed little or nothing to 5=I performed extremely well.

d) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale (DaSilveira et al., 2012). Its 20 items are distributed into two dimensions: 12 items refer to the self-reflection dimension (e.g., “I frequently examine my feelings”; α= 0.90) and eight items concerning the insight dimension (e.g., “I usually know why I feel the way I do”; α=0.82). This instrument is rated on a Likert scale ranging from 0 = Strongly Disagree to 4 = Strongly Agree.

e) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Generic Job Satisfaction Scale - short version (Andrade et al., 2020). This instrument consists of 5 items (e.g., “In my work, I can apply all my talents and skills”; α=0.87) rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Strongly disagree to 5=Strongly agree).

f) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Life Satisfaction Scale (Zanon et al., 2014). It consists of five items (e.g., “My life is close to my ideal”; α=0.87), rated on a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 1= Strongly disagree to 7= Strongly agree.

g) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Career Engagement Scale (Marques et al., 2019). It consists of nine items (e.g., “Actively sought to design your professional future”; α=0.89) rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1=Not often to 5=Always).

h) The adapted and validated Brazilian version of the Work-Family Conflict Scale (Aguiar & Bastos, 2013). This instrument consists of ten items distributed in two dimensions. Five items measure work-to-family conflicts (e.g., “There is no time left at the end of the day to do the things I would like at home”; α=0.90), and five items measure family-to-work conflicts (e.g., “I need to postpone work tasks because of demands that arise at home”; α=0.86). The items are rated on a six-point Likert scale (1=strongly disagree to 6=strongly agree).

i) Socio-demographic questionnaire to characterize the sample (i.e., age, gender, address, marital status, education, family monthly income, and profession).

2.3. Data collection and analysis

Data were collected online between March and December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnerships were established with public and private entities in the fields of health, safety, and education, in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Professionals from all over Brazil were recruited through personalized invitations via email, personal, and social media. The questionnaires were applied via a digital form platform (Google Forms) after the participants provided their consent through a free and informed consent form.

First, discrepant and missing data were identified and treated. Next, the factor scores were averaged, following the guidelines concerning the internal structure of adaptation studies conducted in Brazil. Finally, according to the Brazilian version of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale, the participants’ profiles were classified based on the overall percentile score. Hence, those individuals in the last quartile, i.e., with scores above the 75^th percentile or above 180 points, were classified as having a high level of career calling (N = 325), and those in the first quartile, i.e., with scores up to the 25^th percentile or 109 points, were classified as having a low level of career calling (N = 202).

The means that between the groups with high and low levels of calling (mean score and sum of all dimensions) were also compared using thet-test for independent samples. The variables included in thet-test were related to a) individual aspects: self-reflection & insight and life satisfaction; b) career aspects: career engagement and career adaptability; c) work variables: meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflict. The effect size was established by Cohen’sd, classified as very weak (<0.01), weak (<0.20), moderate (<0.50), strong (<0.80), very strong (<1.20), or extremely strong (<2.00) (Sawilowsky, 2009).

Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was also performed (Hair et al., 2010). The correlation analysis verified the associations between the levels of career calling (low and high) and the general scores of the variables referring to individual, career, and work aspects. The analyses were performed using the Jasp 0.14 software.

2.4. Ethical procedures

This study’s project was submitted to and approved by the Institutional Review Board, Federal University of Espírito Santo, No. 25833919.5.0000.5542. Furthermore, all participants were fully informed about the study’s objectives and provided their consent, following Resolutions 466/2012 and 510/2016 Brazilian National Health Council regulating research involving human subjects.

3. Results

3.1. Descriptive aspects and differences between individuals with low and high levels of career callings

Based on the estimate of the general mean score (M=42.5) and standard deviation (SD=11.5) of the total score of the Brazilian version of the unified multidimensional calling scale, the participants were divided into two groups: low level of calling (those with a score in the first quartile, i.e., percentiles up to the 25^th or up to 109 points) and high level of calling (those with a score in the last quartile, i.e., percentiles above 75^th or above 180 points). Table 1 presents the descriptive data, the mean and standard deviation of the variables investigated, and a comparison of the means between individuals with low and high scores.

Table 1
Comparison and description of variables with low (N = 202) and high (N = 325) calling scores

Variables	High Calling		Low Calling		t	P	d
	M	SD	M	SD
Meaningful work	4.57	0.15	2.95	0.83	15.17	< .001	2.54
Career adapt- Concern	6.41	0.73	5.15	1.42	6.35	< .001	1.06
Career adapt- Control	6.73	0.50	5.73	1.34	5.57	< .001	0.93
Career adapt-Curiosity	6.70	0.53	5.58	1.37	6.13	< .001	1.03
Career adapt- Confidence	6.87	0.34	5.95	1.27	5.55	< .001	0.93
Self-reflection	2.71	0.34	2.34	0.72	5.31	< .001	0.94
Insight	2.17	0.57	1.84	0.45	3.38	< .001	0.60
Life Satisfaction	5.73	0.92	3.95	1.64	8.66	< .001	1.53
Job Satisfaction	4.20	0.65	3.13	0.96	9.66	< .001	1.36
Career engagement	634	0.59	3.83	1.44	18.10	< .001	2.55
Work-family conflict	3.43	1.53	2.81	1.46	2.88	0.00	0.40
Family-work conflict	2.12	1.25	1.83	1.08	1.70	0.09	0.24

• Note 1: Low scores below the 25 th percentile and high scores above the 76 th percentile.
• Note 2: *p<.05, ** p<.001
• Note 3: Career adapt- (Career adapt-abilities)
• Source: Study’s data (2021)

The analysis comparing the means shows statistically significant differences between the groups with low and high levels of career calling (Table 1). Only the group of workers with a high level of calling showed significant differences in individual characteristics (self-reflection & insight and life satisfaction), career (career engagement, career adaptability), and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, work-family interference). Most of the significant differences showed a strong (career adaptability, self-reflection), very strong (job satisfaction and life satisfaction), or extremely strong effect (career engagement and meaningful work) (Sawilowsky, 2009).

3.2. Comparative correlates between individuals with low and high levels of career calling

Two intergroup correlation analyses were performed to understand the relational profile of variables between the participants with low and high levels of calling. Hence, the general scores of the analyzed constructs were used. Table 2 presents the correlation matrix between individuals with low and high levels of callings.

Table 2
Matrix of correlations between individuals with low and high calling scores

Variables	High level of Calling	Low level of Calling	Mean	Standard Deviation
Meaningful work	0.26**	0.60**	3.97	0.93
Career adaptabilities	0.31*	0.32	6.07	1.06
Self-reflection & Insight	0.10	-0.03	2.40	0.43
Life satisfaction	0.18*	0.10	5.26	1.39
Job satisfaction	0.17*	0.41**	3.82	0.93
Career engagement	0.29**	0.56**	5.45	1.55
Work-family conflict	-0.01	0.03	2.61	1.15

• Note 1: *p<.05, ** p<.001.
• Source: Study’s data (2021)

As shown in Table 2, the analysis of the correlations focusing on the levels of career calling between individuals reveals that the group of participants with a low level of career calling presented significant, positive, and moderate correlations only between significant work (r=0.60; p<0.001), job satisfaction (r=0.41; p<0.001), and career engagement (r=0.56; p<0.001). In contrast, the group with a high level of career calling presented a weak and positive relationship with meaningful work (r = 0.26; p<0.001), career adaptability (r = 0.31; p<0.05), life satisfaction (r=0.18; p<0.05), job satisfaction (r=0.17; p<0.05), and career engagement (r=0.29; p<0.001).

4. Discussion

This study aimed to explore how individual (self-reflection & insight and life satisfaction), career (engagement and adaptability), and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflict) resources are associated with levels of career calling among Brazilian workers. Statistically significant differences were found between Brazilian workers with high and low levels of career calling. The group of workers with a high level of career calling presented strong, very strong, or extremely strong individual resources (self-reflection and insight and life satisfaction) as well as career (career engagement and career adaptability), and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, work-family conflict) resources. These results contribute to the literature, showing significant differences in how workers with a high level of career calling see their work compared to those with a low level of calling. Previous studies have investigated individual, career, and work correlates but have not measured such differences between these two groups (Dobrow et al., 2019; Faletehan et al., 2021; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Xu & Liu, 2019).

In general, both the workers with a low or a high level of career calling presented work and career characteristics associated with meaningful work, job satisfaction, and career engagement. However, workers with a high level of calling also presented individual and career characteristics associated with life satisfaction and career adaptability. Both groups of workers (low and high levels of career calling) perceived their work as positively associated with meaningful work, whereas workers with a low level of calling showed a moderate correlation, and workers with a high level of calling showed a weak correlation.

Regarding the hypotheses investigated here, Brazilian workers with a high level of career calling did not show significant associations with self-reflection and insight, nor decreased work-family conflict; thus, hypotheses 1 and 5 were not confirmed. However, workers with a high level of calling showed significant, positive, and weak associations with life satisfaction, supporting hypothesis 2. Life purpose, for instance, is one of the central characteristics of career calling, enabling individuals with a calling to perceive the meaning of their existence (Duffy et al., 2011; Duffy et al., 2016; Duffy et al., 2017), thus improving their life satisfaction (Duffy et al., 2017; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Praskova et al., 2015; Yang & Liu, 2021). At the same time, a sense of mission may also positively impact an individual’s life satisfaction, improving health and well-being at work (Yang & Liu, 2021). That is, a calling may positively impact not only an individual’s occupation but may also generate positive outcomes in their lives (Felix & Blulm, 2020; Yang & Liu, 2021).

The literature also shows that individuals follow their calling by doing meaningful work (Ahmed et al., 2019; Lysova et al., 2019), corroborating hypothesis 3, i.e., meaningful work was positively and weakly related to a high level of callings. Furthermore, one study addressing volunteers from non-profit organizations shows that being able to pursue one’s calling was the main reason for volunteers to join and remain in these organizations for extended periods (Faletehan et al., 2021). Hence, organizations can develop managerial practices to help employees pursue their callings, find more value and positive meaning in their work, and, thus, stay longer in organizations (Faletehan et al., 2021). In this sense, both the profiles of workers addressed in this study were associated with meaningful work. The reason is that an individual’s purpose is combined with what s/he would like to do with how s/he should do it to fulfill her/his prosocial goals (Elangovan et al., 2010; Faletehan et al., 2021).

Likewise, job satisfaction showed a significant positive relationship with both groups, being moderate among workers with a low level of calling and weak among workers with a high level of calling, supporting hypothesis 4. It has been repeatedly shown that individuals with a calling, regardless of the domain, are more satisfied with their jobs and careers (Dalla Rosa et al., 2017; Dobrow & Tosti-Kharas, 2011; Duffy & Dik, 2013; Felix & Blulm, 2020; Hagmaier & Abele, 2012; Soares et al., 2023). The relationship between a calling and job satisfaction was considered more significant, even among individuals working under challenging, hostile, and vulnerable conditions (Duffy et al., 2016), such as firefighters. It shows that callings are protective factors for workers’ mental and occupational health, as they support them in precarious contexts with limited resources, helping them to maintain their well-being and health at work (Duffy & Dik, 2013; Yang & Liu, 2021).

There was also a positive and moderate correlation between career engagement among workers with a low level of career calling, and a positive and weak correlation among workers with a high level of calling, which corroborated hypothesis 6. Recent studies show that engaged, energetic, and focused professionals provide a sustainable competitive advantage for organizations (Erum et al., 2020). Because callings promote work engagement (Duffy et al., 2014), explaining approximately 30% of its variation, it is a valuable career resource for workers’ professional and career guidance (Erum et al., 2020). In addition, workers with a calling are more engaged in their careers (Duffy et al., 2014) and generally flourish, presenting full professional performance, further increasing their work engagement (Erum et al., 2020).

Finally, workers with a high level of career calling showed a positive and weak association with career adaptability, supporting hypothesis 7. This result corroborates studies showing that individuals who perceive their work as a calling tend to adapt better to changing professional environments (Praskova et al., 2014; Xie et al., 2016; Yang & Liu, 2021). In addition, callings can help workers improve their professional skills and competencies through professional adaptability (Dumulescu et al., 2015), even increasing self-efficacy when making career decisions (Douglass & Duffy, 2015; Duffy et al., 2011) and enhancing teamwork (Dumulescu et al., 2015; Yang & Liu, 2021). Callings increase career adaptability in the face of market challenges and the contemporary career globalization process, including college students facing the labor market (Dumulescu et al., 2015; Praskova et al., 2014). Such findings regarding callings drive individuals to anticipate changes in their careers to pursue their professional aspirations (Thompson & Bunderson, 2019) and reinforce that the presence of a calling, mediated by career adaptability, positively influences the workers’ mental and physical health (Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2020; Yang & Liu, 2021). In this sense, career adaptability can be a short-term strategy to manage the changes faced in the world of work (Shava & Chinyamurindi, 2020; Yang & Liu, 2021), as well as a self-regulating strategy for long-term professional improvement.

5. Final Considerations

This study’s objective was to explore how individual (self-reflection & insight and life satisfaction), career (engagement and adaptability), and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflicts) resources are associated with levels of career calling among Brazilian workers. From an individual point of view, the results show that workers with a calling feel more satisfied and engaged with their jobs and lives, showing greater adaptability in their careers and professional trajectory. Furthermore, when workers feel called to a particular work, they experience congruence between their interests, skills, and occupation (Hagmaier & Abele, 2015), which leads to increased job and life satisfaction, decreasing frustration, regret, and dissatisfaction (Berg et al., 2010). From an organizational point of view, managers are always looking for satisfied, committed, creative, and high-performing workers (Gruman & Saks, 2011; Rothbard & Patil, 2012). Additionally, organizations are interested in hiring people who tend to stay in the company, presenting low or no absenteeism. Therefore, it becomes less of a challenge when managers find workers who find their work a worthwhile, enjoyable, and satisfying activity.

In practical terms, this study provides reference values to interpret the scores obtained in the Brazilian version of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale and its correlates by Brazilian workers. These normative values enable more accurate assessments of the construct and allow the designing of intervention strategies based on scientific evidence. This study is also helpful for career managers to develop training programs intended to change workers’ perceptions, attitudes, and behavior. In addition, understanding the strength of workers’ callings may be an essential recruiting criterion to assess a candidate’s work orientation so that managers can clarify how a professional fit into an organization’s mission and provide vocational guidance. Furthermore, based on this study’s results, career calling represents a mutual benefit, leading to life and job satisfaction, which translates into positive organizational outcomes while satisfying the workers’ needs for self-actualization, contributing to workers becoming valuable members of organizations and society.

Regarding this study’s limitations, a convenience sample was adopted, and data were mostly collected in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil; therefore, caution is needed when generalizing the results. Additionally, the characteristics of the study sample do not portray the context of most Brazilian workers, as most of the participants had a graduate degree and a high monthly income. Furthermore, using cross-sectional data may not fully capture the true nature of the psychological constructs involved in the study of career calling. However, this study’s results support career managers when recruiting and selecting individuals who feel, perceive, and experience a calling to design training and career guidance programs to engage and retain professionals in organizations.

Finally, from the organizations’ perspective and in terms of grouping the constructs from an individual perspective (self-reflection & insight and life satisfaction), career (engagement and adaptability) and work (meaningful work, job satisfaction, and work-family conflict), even though,a priori, these elements do not have a unified nature, anchoring studies addressing career calling on these three aspects corroborates with the research agenda of different fields of knowledge, especially psychology, administration, business, and career education. Future studies should collect data from a stratified random sample representing all Brazilian regions, primarily exploring a socioeconomic profile that depicts low income and educational level. This study was also restricted to the investigation of Brazilian workers. Thus, using adapted versions of the Unified Multidimensional Calling Scale in cross-cultural studies is interesting for performing comparative analyses, considering the scale’s accuracy and standardization (proven psychometric properties with an interpretation standard). Furthermore, future studies might include new constructs to assess other relationships with career calling predictors and outcomes.

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• FINANCIAL SUPPORT

  LZ: CAPES-DS Doctoral scholarship. AA: CNPq Productivity Scholarship.

Edited by

Associate Editor:

Bruno Felix https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6183-009X

Edited by

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Talles Vianna Brugni https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9025-9440

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  09 Sept 2024
• Date of issue
  2024

History

• Received
  21 Oct 2022
• Reviewed
  06 Mar 2023
• Accepted
  21 Mar 2023