Fostering Hopeful Career State in the Workplace: The Roles of Organizational and Supervisory Support

ABSTRACT In the hospitality industry, supporting employee career development to enhance job satisfaction and reduce turnover intentions has been a persistent challenge for career development professionals. This study of 393 hospitality workers in the United States demonstrates a serial mediation effect where organizational career support and perceived supervisor support affect employees’ job satisfaction and turnover intentions through hopeful career state and work engagement. The results provide career counselors and workplace career development specialists with a framework for understanding how career‐related support can enhance employees’ career hope, potentially creating more engaged and satisfied workers. This study contributes to the literature by applying the Agentic Human Resource Development Process (AHRDP) to extend the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model in a career development context, suggesting that hopeful career state is a key mediating variable that precedes work engagement. This offers a new lens for career development professionals to understand the factors influencing career development outcomes in organizational contexts.