Employee activism and professional careers: A Bourdieusian perspective

Employees seek careers that impact society and the environment (Tams, 2020; Tams & Marshall, 2011) by engaging in employee activism (Girschik, Svystunova, & Lysova, 2022). These employees have been described as ‘insider activists’ (Briscoe & Gupta, 2016), ‘tempered radicals’ (Meyerson & Scully, 1995) and ‘internal activists’ (Wickert & Schaefer, 2015). Seeking to challenge dominant organizational narratives, their activities can impact their careers. Yet, few studies have examined how careers and employee activism relate, prompting scholars to question: ‘Is doing social good also good for one’s career?’ (Bode, Rogan, & Singh, 2021:1).

This paper seeks to understand the relationship between employees’ activism and their careers in a structured field – professional service firms (PSFs). In these organizations, professionals experience tensions when seeking a sustainable, meaningful career (Chudzikowski, Gustafsson & Tams, 2020). Theoretically, we adopt a Bourdieusian (Bourdieu, 1977) perspective. Empirically, we draw on 58 qualitative semi-structured interviews with professionals involved in climate change initiatives in one globally operating PSF. We use thematic analysis to interrogate the empirical material (Braun & Clarke, 2022). Our findings suggest two profiles – Integrators and Activists - illustrating how professionals engage differently in employee activism. We emphasise differences in their career dispositions, career practices and ability to transform career capitals. Our findings contribute to a socially-situated understanding of employee activism (Briscoe and Gupta, 2016; Bode et al., 2021; Girschik et al., 2022) and the growing research on responsible and sustainable careers (Tams & Marshall, 2010; Chudzikowski et al., 2020).