Impact of career plateau and supervisory support on career satisfaction: A study in offshore outsourced IT firms in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of career plateau (hierarchical plateau and job content plateau) and supervisory career support on career satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach – A random sample of 119 IT professionals employed full-time in offshore outsourced IT firms in Sri Lanka responded. Multiple regression was used for the data analysis. Findings – Supervisory career support significantly predicts career satisfaction. However, hierarchical plateau and job content plateau do not significantly predict career satisfaction. Originality/value – Although IT employees attached to the offshore IT firms may be identified as a unique population worthy of empirical investigation, details on how they actually manage their careers remain obscure. The findings of the study provide interesting implications for individuals’ career satisfaction and will be a source of general guidance in stimulating future research in this area.