Promotions and Employees' Perceived Mobility Channels: The Effects of Employee Sex,Employee Group,and Initial Placement

Abstract

Information from questionnaires and personnel records (perceived and actual promotions in previous 5 years, hierarchical level, and perceptions of ways of obtaining promotions-mobility channels) was gathered on 14 administrative/professional and supervisory/technical university employees to determine how mobility patterns and employee perceptions of them vary as a result of employees' sex and different starting points in the organization. Two 2 x 2 MANCOVAs (employee sex x employee group and employee sex x starting level), with age and education held constant, showed main effects for employee group and starting level, a marginal main effect for employee sex, and an employee sex x starting level interaction. Employees'sex and their positions in the organization, whether initial vertical placement or the (bargaining) group in which the employee works, are important in promotions and employees' perceptions of the promotion process.