About the Authors:
Jean-Luc Cerdin is Professor of International Human Resource Management at ESSEC Business School, France. [Email: cerdin@essec.edu].
Eren Akkan is an Associate Professor of Management at Kedge Business School, France. [Email: eren.akkan@kedgebs.com].
Yitzhak Fried is an Emeritus Professor of Management in the Area of Management, Rawls College of Business, Texas Tech University. [Email: yitzhak.fried@ttu.edu]
Ran Bi is a Ph.D. candidate in Management in Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA. [Email: bi91367@ttu.edu]

When a global disruption like COVID-19 hits, the initial reaction for many is a sense of profound uncertainty. We find ourselves asking: Is my job safe? Is my company stable? What does this mean for my future?

In our latest research, recently published in Human Relations, my colleagues and I explored how employees navigate these “career shocks”. We discovered that the most valuable tools for surviving a crisis aren’t just the ones you find during the disruption—they are the resources you built before it even started.

Career Satisfaction as a Psychological Resource

At the center of our findings is career satisfaction. While often viewed simply as a measure of happiness, our study treats it as a “psychological resource”— a tool that reinforces a sense of mastery and competence.

We found that employees who entered the pandemic with high career satisfaction were significantly better positioned to handle the stress of the disruption. Satisfaction acts as an anchor; it provides the confidence needed to remain calm when the external world feels unstable.

The Power of Prior Recognition

But where does this satisfaction come from during a crisis? Our study highlights the lingering power of pre-disruption job performance evaluations.

The recognition you received before the world changed—those signals that you were a high performer—don’t just disappear when a crisis starts. Instead, they function as a reservoir of “contextual resources”. They reassure you of your organizational value, which directly fuels your career satisfaction even in the early, darkest stages of a disruption.

The Critical Role of Support

There is a vital social component here, too. We found that this link is even stronger when employees feel supported by their supervisors during the crisis. When a manager validates your performance and provides relational support, they help you “convert” your past success into the psychological fuel needed to stay committed to the organization.

Conclusion: Rethinking Career Success

This research shifts how we should think about the value of a successful career. Career satisfaction is not merely a destination or an end goal of a stable path; it is a functional, protective resource that builds resilience. In an increasingly disruptive world, the “success” we achieve today—and the formal recognition of that success—serves as the primary defense mechanism for tomorrow. For organizations and individuals alike, fostering career satisfaction is an investment in survival, providing the psychological foundation necessary to turn a sudden shock into a manageable transition.

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This blog post is based on:  

Cerdin, J.-L., Akkan, E., Fried, Y., & Bi, R. (2026). From pre-disruption success to disruption survival: The role of pre-disruption job performance evaluation in work outcomes during disruption. Human Relations, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00187267261419703