Do antecedents of altruism change at different career stages? A multilevel analysis

This paper aims at extending theoretical and empirical research on the antecedents of altruism by examining two key issues. The first is to test the direct impact of fun at work, work-life balance and supervisor support on altruism. The second is to determine whether the effects of these predictors were moderated by employee career stage. Based on multilevel analysis of a large sample of 6,182 employees in 37 companies, fun at work significantly predicted altruism for employees in the early career stage only, while work-life balance predicted altruism for mid-career and late-career employees. Contrary to expectation, career stage did not moderate the relationship between perceived supervisor support and altruism. These findings suggest further exploration is needed on how career stage affects the relationship between altruism and its antecedents. This is an especially crucial issue in light of demographic trends indicating further extension of employees’ working lives.