WELL-BEING AND WORK CONDITIONS AMONG EARLY CAREER RESEARCHERS IN CROATIA: BASELINE RESULTS

Abstract

Early career researchers (ECRs) often face demanding and insecure working conditions that may undermine their well-being. This study among 531 doctoral candidates and postdoctoral researchers presents baseline findings from the first wave of the ECR-WELL longitudinal project, which examines well-being and work conditions among ECRs employed at universities and research institutes in Croatia. Building upon the Job Demands–Resources framework, we examined descriptive levels of overall and work-related well-being and tested associations between work conditions (job resources, hindrance job demands, job insecurity, and weekly work hours), individual characteristics (proactive personality and perfectionism), and two key work-related being outcomes: work engagement and exhaustion. Descriptive results indicated relatively high flourishing and work engagement as well as moderate levels of exhaustion, suggesting both resilience and signs of strain. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that job resources and proactive personality were positively associated with work engagement, whereas hindrance job demands and longer working hours were associated with higher exhaustion. Perfectionism was positively related to ECRs’ exhaustion, while proactive personality was had a protective role. These baseline findings highlight the importance of supportive work environments and individual resources for sustaining well-being in early academic careers.