Futurists predict that a third of jobs that exist today could be taken by Smart Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Algorithms (STARA) by 2025. However, very little is known about how employees perceive these technological advancements in regards to their own jobs and careers, and how they are preparing for these potential changes. A new measure (STARA awareness) was created for this study that captures the extent to which employees feel their job could be replaced by these types of technology. Due to career progression and technology knowledge associated with age, we also tested age as a moderator of STARA. Using a mixed-methods approach on 120 employees, we tested STARA awareness on a range of job and well-being outcomes. Greater STARA awareness was negatively related to organisational commitment and career satisfaction, and positively related to turnover intentions, cynicism, and depression.

Work-Life Balance (WLB) still needs further development to understand the antecedents and consequences, rather than just focusing on work-family conflict. In response, the present article explores two different models. Two distinct employee samples were used with a range of professions. Sample 1 is a general sample of New Zealand employees (n = 165) and Sample 2 is a sample of Māori employees, the indigenous people of New Zealand (n = 150). Using structural equation modeling, the results from Sample 1 found the best model fit is for work demands and job autonomy being related to WLB, which in turn was related to job satisfaction, with job satisfaction then related to turnover intentions. In Sample 2, we find the best model fit is for job control being related to WLB, with WLB then predicting job satisfaction and affective commitment; job satisfaction is then related to turnover intentions and affective commitment related to organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) and turnover intentions. Both samples produced similar results, supporting the notion that antecedents and consequences of WLB follow a similar mediated pattern. Overall, this study highlights factors that help build and diminish WLB and confirm the importance of WLB and its central role in employee lives.

Many futurists and business people suggest that we are in the midst of the fourth industrial revolution because of rapid advancements in smart technology, artificial intelligence, automation, robotics, and algorithms (STAARA). However, very little research has been conducted on how employees view their jobs and careers in the age of these potential changes. Structural equation modelling was used on a sample of 196 employees to test a number of job-related predictors regarding employees’ perceptions of their job insecurity from STAARA: job control, job complexity, job repetition, and STAARA awareness. These employee-rated predictors were then used to predict STAARA redundancy. Overall, all constructs played important roles in understanding the prediction of STAARA redundancy. Unusually, STAARA awareness was found to be negatively related to STAARA redundancy, indicating that employees may not be the best judge of technology’s potential to replace their jobs. The implications are important when we consider how employees assess their jobs and long-term career prospects in relation to STAARA.

The present study investigates the influence of cultural differences on organisational-based self-esteem within New Zealand. A sample of 211 New Zealand European employees and 291 Māori (indigenous people of New Zealand) employees answered a range of questions on organisational-based self-esteem, job, and mood outcomes. Findings suggest that organisational-based self-esteem was directly associated with job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and organisational citizenship behaviours, as well as positive and negative affect. Relationships between variables were tested for each sample separately and for a combined sample. A comparison between the separate and combined samples was also investigated. The findings from this study suggest that organisational-based self-esteem has a greater influence on job outcomes and mood outcomes for Māori when compared with New Zealand Europeans. This could be because employment fulfils a basic need for self-determination. The present study suggests the implementation of tailored management policies to support cultural differences within New Zealand’s vibrant and diverse workforce.