The Effect Of Career Concern On Employee Performance At Bamburi Cement Mombasa County, Kenya

Keywords: Career Concern; Employee Performance; Career Construction Theory; Career Planning; Manufacturing Firms; Bamburi Cement; Mombasa County; Kenya.

Paper Type: Research Article

Recommended citation: Ego, E. C., Maket, L., & Mulongo, L. (2026). The effect of career concern on employee performance at Bamburi Cement Mombasa County, Kenya. Journal of Economics, Management Sciences and Procurement, 5(1), 316–332.

1. Introduction

It is well acknowledged that the performance of employees is one of the key factors that affect the productivity, competitiveness and sustainability of an organization. In manufacturing companies, workers are one of the key individuals who is involved in converting the organization's strategies, resources and processes into actual results. The efficiency of which the employee can perform his or her assigned role has a positive effect on the quality of the product, production efficiency, customer satisfaction and the attainment of organizational goals. Armstrong and Taylor (2020) argued that HRM plays a vital role in improving employees' outputs and performance of the organization and Aguinis (2019) indicated that performance management is a strategic process that can facilitate the alignment of employee efforts with the organization's objectives. Therefore, organizations are increasingly aware that employee performance is not just dependent on technical skills and organizational resources, but also on employees' attitudes, aspirations and perceptions regarding their career futures in the organization.

Career concern has become an important dimension of career adaptability that could affect employees' attitudes towards their job and reactions to evolving organizational needs. Career concern is defined by individuals' orientation toward and readiness for their future career, such as the ability to predict work-related activities, set up career objectives, and plan for future career challenges (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012). In the career construction approach, career concern is a psychological resource that is future oriented and can help people establish a direction and plan for career transitions and changing demands at work (Savickas, 2013). Staff who show career concern are likely to be thinking about their career development, their career future and make positive steps towards fulfilling their career goals. These attitudes toward the future may include increased willingness to do their jobs well, to acquire new skills pertinent to their work, and to stay on to work toward the organization’s goals. Career concern is therefore a useful lens to look at how employees' career orientations relate to their work performance.

In the manufacturing sector, a relationship between career concern and employee performance is especially important because of the dynamic nature of work life in manufacturing settings, which involve technological advancements, production process changes, higher quality demands, and the pressure of competition. These conditions necessitate the ongoing learning of new skills, adaptation to operational changes and continued performance standards. Employees may be less likely to resist learning, pursue professional development or gain skills to move up the career ladder if they are concerned about their future career. This forward-thinking strategy can help build their ability to work successfully on tasks and meet new workplace demands. On the other hand, if there is a lack of career direction, employees may feel uncertain about their career and this may decrease motivation to gain needed skills and invest effort in their job. It is therefore important to consider the relationship between career concern and employee performance in understanding how an employee's perceptions of his/her own career future may relate to employee outcomes in the workplace.

To support this relationship, it is important to have a theory that explains the development and management of people's careers through the meanings that they attach to their work experiences and the resources they mobilize to adapt to changing career conditions (Savickas, 2013). Career adaptability is recognized as a psychosocial resource that consists of four components: concern, control, curiosity, and confidence. Career concern is the future aspect of adaptability and it entails planning for and predicting one's career future (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012). From this point of view, staff that exhibit career concern are expected to become more aware of future career needs and take proactive steps to prepare for them. This can include learning new things, enhancing job skills, and establishing career aspirations that inform current actions. These activities can be a part of employee performance, building employees' preparedness to take on responsibilities, address work-related challenges, and adapt to changes in organizational expectations. Career Construction Theory therefore offers a foundation for the investigation of whether there is a correlation between the employee's career orientation and their behavior at work. Empirical studies have begun to focus on career adaptability as a resource that can facilitate positive career outcomes. In the conceptual and measurement frameworks of career adaptability, Savickas and Porfeli (2012) emphasized career concern as a key component in preparation for career transition and the changing demands of career fields. Future studies have linked career adaptability to career satisfaction, employability, career success and work-related adjustment (Rudolph et al., 2017). The results indicated that workers' ability to anticipate and plan their future demands could relate to their performance in the workplace. But career adaptability is a multi-faceted construct, and the effect of the different components of it might not be equal in all organizational settings. Career concern has a unique relationship with employee performance, since it is more concerned with future orientation and preparation than other aspects of career adaptability, and thus is also required to be explored separately.

The employee performance is a measure of the effectiveness with which the employee has completed the tasks and responsibilities given by the employer and has contributed in this process towards the attainment of the objective of the organization. It includes the quality and quantity of work completed, efficiency in completing work, reliability and the effective use of knowledge and skills to complete job tasks (Aguinis, 2019). In manufacturing companies, personnel performance can be measured by following production standards, accuracy of work, meeting scheduled deadlines for specific tasks, effective teamwork and ensuring that operations are efficient. Good performance of employees helps to improve the productivity and competitiveness of the organization while poor performance can cause delays in production, high operational cost, quality issue and low organizational effectiveness. To ensure productivity and adjust to changing market and operational requirements, it is important to understand what determines employee performance. One explanation of the relationship between career concern and employee performance is the possible role of future-oriented career preparation in employees' work behavior. If an employee has concerns about the future of their career, he or she might be more likely to set career objectives, look for ways to enhance skills, and plan for future job needs. These behaviors could enable them to more effectively carry out their current responsibilities and take on new ones. Employee concern about work can also lead them to see their current occupations as stepping stones to their future career goals. This perception can reinforce their commitment to work activities, to learning the knowledge needed for that work, and to carrying out responsibilities at the organization. However, the presence of career concern does not necessarily imply better performance. There is an empirical question about how far-reaching career attitudes relate to better employee performance; this question must be studied within a specific organizational context.

Employees' performance is becoming increasingly relevant in a relationship with career-related psychological resources in Kenya, a nation undergoing rapid transformation of its employment and organizational operations. The business world is characterized by rapid changes in technology, shifts in production processes and the growing need for efficiency and quality, in which manufacturing companies must adapt those employees who have to deal with these changes. The requirements in these conditions serve as a catalyst for the need of workers who are able to predict future needs and get ready for a change in job functions. In this context, career concern can be important since it indicates employees' future career orientation and readiness to respond to new career demands. The magnitude of the impact of career concerns on employee performance in manufacturing firms in Kenya, however, has not been well established. Current discussion about employee performance tends to focus on the attitudes and capacities of the employees, their working environments and organizational practices, while not as much attention is paid to the role of employees in their future job orientation.

The relationship between career concern and employee performance is relevant in the context of Bamburi Cement Company in Mombasa County. As a manufacturing organization, the business relies on the staff to carry out their assigned responsibilities, keep their operational standards and be productive for the business. The future career goals and expectations for career growth of employees can affect their current tasks. People who show career concern may be more likely to plan for future jobs, acquire the skills necessary for related jobs, and adjust present job to future career goals. These behaviors could affect their efficiency and organization's performance. But the link between career concern and performance of the employees in Bamburi Cement Company has not been explored adequately empirically.

Despite the volume of research on career adaptability in career development literature, the direct impact of each of the individual dimensions of adaptability on employee performance in a particular organizational context needs to be explored. More specifically, the impact of career concern on the performance of the employees of manufacturing companies in Kenya warrants further study. Much of the current literature has focused on the general career adaptability outcomes such as career satisfaction, employability and career success, rather than directly examining the relationship between career concern and the employee's job performance. Furthermore, research conducted across various occupational and national settings might not be readily transferable to employees in Kenyan manufacturing companies. This results in a gap in literature and experience that needs to be investigated.

The study, therefore, focuses on the direct influence of career concern on employee performance in Bamburi Cement Company in Mombasa County, Kenya. The study is based on Career Construction Theory that offers a theoretical framework for understanding how an employee's future-oriented career preparation might impact the employee's work-related behaviors and outcomes. The study aims to find out if there is any correlation between employees' orientation to career concerns and their performance within the organization when they concentrate on one particular career concern. The results are anticipated to complement the current research literature on career adaptability and employee performance in that they will supply empirical evidence of the association between career concern and employee performance in a manufacturing setting in Kenya. The study may also yield relevant implications for organizational managers and HR practitioners who would like to know how employees' career development orientations contribute to the success of their job performance, workforce development and organizational productivity.

2. Theoretical review

Human Capital Theory is a theory brought to the table by Theodore W. Schultz In 1961 and developed further by Gary Becker in 1964. It says that the knowledge, skills, education, training and experience of an employee are valuable assets that increase their productivity and performance. The theory states that workers who are dedicated to their career growth via education, training, skill building and career advancement will be able to enhance their expertise and productivity in the workplace. When employees are motivated by career concern, they are more likely to plan for their future careers, develop the necessary skills, and explore avenues for career development to improve their capacity for carrying out assigned tasks. For Bamburi Cement, workers with a high level of career concern can pursue further training, acquire technical skills, and advance their careers, leading to increased productivity, quality of work, and overall organizational performance. Thus, Human Capital Theory accounts for the association between career concern and employee performance by outlining how career-related investments create employee skills that result in greater employee performance.

3. Empirical review

In Nigeria, Abubakar (2024) investigated the impact of concern in career on employee performance of the staff of private banking institutions with the study titled, impact of concern in career on employee performance of staff in private banking institutions in Nigeria. The study obtained the data using a mixed method approach which is stratified sampling using structured questionnaires and semi structured interviews across hierarchical levels of the organizations. The findings revealed that a higher level of career concern, expressed through active career planning, monitoring of career goals, and thinking about what skills were required for future career, was significantly related to greater productivity for employees, more adaptability to technological banking processes, and greater service delivery effectiveness for employees who had little career planning. According to Abubakar (2024), an employee's mind-set towards a future-oriented career has a positive impact on their complex skills in dynamic sectors.

In a study titled ‘Career Development Preparedness and Employee Performance in Public Sector Organizations,' Masinde and Maket (2024) examined the career development preparedness and employee performance in the public sector organizations in Kenya. The study employed an explanatory research design and stratified random sampling for structured questionnaires for evaluating employees' future career planning behaviors of a dimension of career concern. The results revealed that employees who involved in career planning and preparation claimed to go high on Task performance and improvement of services, especially in jobs that involve anticipating changes in the regulations, and demands from infrastructural projects. The authors suggested that career planning increases employees' readiness to match the expectations of the task and decreases the variability of employee performance in the public sector (Masinde & Maket, 2024).

Mgeta (2025) investigated “Career Preparedness and Performance Outcomes” in a Tanzanian telecommunications company. The study used descriptive research design as its approach, questionnaires and key informant interviews as its data collection methods, and regression analysis as its data analysis technique, with the intention of analyzing the effect of career concern on the performance of students. It was found that the active participation in forward looking activities like defining career goals, regularly assessing competencies, and planning for future role requirements was associated with greater employee innovation, efficiency and responsiveness to customer needs. Some limitations, however, (including a lack of structured career guidance in the firm) limited the performance enhancement of career concern. The study highlighted that career planning activities that are coordinated with the organization's objectives improve the ability of career concern to translate into measurable gains in organization's performance (Mgeta, 2025).

Karoki, Waribu, and Mutua (2025) did a study on “Career Concern Behaviors and Teacher Performance” at the Teachers Service Commission, Kenya. The researchers found that teachers who actively engaged in preparation for further advancement in their careers, participated in professional learning opportunities, and were disposed to pedagogical changes made significant gains in productivity, task competence, and quality of educational delivery using a descriptive survey and simple random sampling approach. The researchers found that when career planning is done in a structured way, institutional support is a factor to strengthen the positive impact of career concern on performance results (Karoki, Waribu & Mutua, 2025).

HI: Career concern has significant effect of employee performance

4. Research methodology

The study employed the explanatory research design which enabled acquisition of some data that can be analyzed to determine the relationship between the variables of the study namely Career concern and employee performance at Bamburi Cement in Mombasa County, Kenya. The unit of observation for the study was the employees of Bamburi Cement and the individual employee was the unit of analysis. The respondents were stratified based on department and a stratified random sampling method was employed to select the sample to be studied.

Sample size and data collection

A total of 405 employees of Bamburi Cement Company in Mombasa County, Kenya were selected for the study. The population consisted of employees of the Mombasa manufacturing plant, Nairobi grinding plant and head office consisting of top-level management, middle level management and operational staff. The study adopted stratified random sampling technique that involved dividing the employees into seven departments: Production/Manufacturing, Finance & Accounting, Human Resource, Procurement & Supply Chain, Sales & Marketing, Information Technology and Administration, to ensure that the selected respondents were adequate in each department. Within each stratum respondents were then randomly selected. In this study, quantitative data has been collected from the field by following a well-structured questionnaire prepared on a 5-point Likert scale to measure the level of career concern and performance of the employees. The sample size of the respondents was calculated using the formula for sample size determination by Yamane (1967) which yielded 297 respondents from a population of 405 employees. The reliability and validity of the research instrument was pre-tested on 25 workers in Portland Cement in Nairobi County, Kenya, who constituted about 10% of the target population, before the main study. Based on the reliability analysis, the Cronbach alpha values of the constructs of the study were also high enough than the recommended value of 0.70, so the questionnaire can be considered reliable for the main data collection and statistical analysis.

Measurement of variables

This section will address the measurement of variables in which career concern will be the independent variable of the study and employee performance is the dependent variable of the study. The study also had looked at control variables such as firm size and firm age. Details definitions and measurements of all research variables are provided in Table 1.

Data analysis and model specification

The study used a strictly quantitative data analysis technique which involved both inferential and descriptive statistical analysis using SPSS version 25. Both inferential and descriptive statistics which included mean, standard deviation, percentages, minimum and maximum were all used to summarize demographics and study variables. Inferential statistics was also used in the study as both correlation and regression analysis was carried out. To test the proposed hypotheses the following regression equation was adopted:

Model 1: Testing the effect of the control variables on employee performance at Bamburi Cement in Mombasa County.

Y = β₀ + C + ε

Model 2: Testing the effect of career concern on employee performance at Bamburi Cement in Mombasa County.

Y = β₀ + C + β₁X₁ + ε ………………………………1

Where:
Y = Employee performance
β₀ = Constant
C = Control variables
β₁ = Regression coefficient of career concern
X₁ = Career concern
ε = Error term

5. Findings

The study was conducted on a sample of 297 respondents from the employees of Bamburi Cement, Mombasa County, Kenya. A total of 268 of the questionnaires were returned from distributed questionnaires. Out of these 250 questionnaires, 250 were screened out for completeness, consistency and accuracy and hence retained for further analysis, which resulted into 84.18% effective response rate. The response rate in the study is considered satisfactory and acceptable because in social science and human resource management studies the acceptable rate of response is set at over 70% which minimizes non-response bias and increases the reliability of findings (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2019). The achieved response rate enabled the moderating effect of work-life balance on the relationship between career adaptability and employee performance at Bamburi Cement in Mombasa County, Kenya to be examined. Previous organizational and employee performance research has reported similar response rates, which substantiates using the sample for statistical analysis and hypothesis testing (Anseel et al., 2010; Van Waeyenberg et al., 2015; Roberts et al., 2020).

Source: Primary Data (2026)

Firm characteristics

Descriptive statistics were used to examine the control variables: employee experience (EXPP), gender (GG), and age (AE) among 250 employees at Bamburi Cement Company. All variables recorded complete responses (N=250), with minimum and maximum values of 1 and 5. Employee experience had a mean of 3.0104 (SD=0.80643), gender 3.0016 (SD=0.82938), and age 2.9608 (SD=0.80893). These results indicate responses centred around the midpoint of the five-point scale, with moderate variability. However, gender and age, being demographic variables, should be interpreted using appropriate categorical coding, frequencies, and percentages in subsequent regression and moderation analyses. Note: employee experience (EXPP), gender (GG), and age (AE)

Descriptive statistics for employee performance

Table 3: Shows the descriptive statistics for performance. In regards to TP1: employees consistently complete their assigned duties and responsibilities within the expected timelines; employees' mean was 3.01 with a standard deviation of 0.948. The mean value represents the respondents' average degree of agreement with the statement. This indicates that in general, employees believed that they could do the work that was given them in the expected time frames, but it was not a particularly high response. The standard deviation (0.948) suggests moderate variability in the responses, suggesting that there were differences in the experience of employees when it comes to completing assigned tasks on time. There was greater agreement among some employees than others that they were always able to finish their tasks within the expected time. The mean and standard deviation for TP2 were 2.98 and 0.929 respectively; this statement is: "Employees are able to meet the performance targets and objectives set for their positions by effectively executing the work responsibilities. The overall average score is slightly below the neutral score of 3.00, indicating that overall, the respondents were neutral with respect to the achievement of performance targets and objectives. This means that staff weren't confident that they met their targets regularly. The standard deviation of 0.929 indicates moderate variation in responses, with higher scores indicating stronger agreement on achieving the target. Certain members of staff may have been more successful with achieving their performance targets and others less successful in achieving their performance targets. The mean score for employees' work was 2.95 with a standard deviation of 0.949 for TP3 (work that meets the required standards of quality with minimal errors or need for supervision). This was the lowest mean of the task performance items. The discovery indicates that respondents' attitudes were slightly negative towards their performance of good quality production with few errors or supervision. The mean score was slightly below the 3.00 indicating a generally neutral rating of the quality of work and independence from supervision. With a SD of 0.949, it indicates moderate variability in responses, meaning that the employees had some differences in their perception of how quality their work is, and how they are working without errors and without being supervised. The mean for TP4, "Employees use their time and resources effectively to accomplish tasks and meet performance standards," was 3.00 with a standard deviation of 0.927. The mean represents the center of the 5-point Likert scale, which represents a neutral response. Respondents' responses indicated that they did not strongly agree or disagree that they used their time and resources effectively. The result suggests that the resource/coping management aspect of employee relations was seen as “moderate” rather than “excellent”. Overall responses are moderately variable, with a standard deviation of 0.927, which suggests differences in employees' experiences and abilities in managing work resources and in completing work assignments within expected performance standards. The mean score for TP5 (which indicates that employees are able to work independently and take responsibility for completing assigned tasks) was 3.02 with a standard deviation of 0.946. This score was the highest mean of all five items of task performance. The result shows that the employees' perception of working independently and accepting their responsibilities was slightly positive. The mean was, however, just slightly above the neutral point, which meant the balance of independence and responsibility perceived was moderate. The moderate variance in responses (standard deviation = 0.946) suggests some variance in how employees felt they were able to complete tasks on their own. The mean scores for task performance ranged from 2.95 to 3.02 and the standard deviations ranged from 0.927 to 0.949, across the overall sample. The highest mean of 3.02 was obtained by TP5 and the lowest mean of 2.95 was obtained by TP3. The results suggest that overall the employee task performance items were rated as moderate with no one item having a very high degree of agreement. The means are fairly close indicating that the employees rated their work performance in terms of the timely completion of duties, target achievement, quality of work, management of resources and independent working at similar levels. The moderate standard deviations suggest that there is variation in the individual employee's experiences. CP1, which indicated that staff members willingly offer support to their peers when they are facing problems at work or when they are working on a heavy workload, had mean 3.02 and standard deviation 0.957. The mean represents a moderate degree of agreement and indicates that the employees' view was that they are generally willing to assist those having a problem at work. This discovery suggests that there was some level of helping behavior amongst the staff members but it was not very strong. The standard deviation of 0.957 means the answers are moderately variable, meaning that employees provided different levels of assistance to colleagues when they faced a difficult work situation or had a high workload. The mean for CP2 was 3.03 with a standard deviation of 0.885, indicating that employees have positive and cooperative working relationships with other employees in the organization. This score was the highest mean of the contextual performance items. The finding indicates that the respondents had a slight positive evaluation for the cooperative working relationship. It suggests that staff members had some idea of having positive relationships with staff. The lowest contextual performance item standard deviation was for 0.885, which meant that there was comparatively less variability in the responses. This indicates that workers were relatively homogeneous in their views about the quality of their working relationships and cooperative attitudes towards fellow workers. CP3, where the employees show initiative in finding ways to improve work processes without explicit instructions to do so, had a mean score of 2.97 and a standard deviation of 0.929. Means slightly below neutral, indicating that respondents were generally neutral on their demonstration of initiative in work processes. This means that staff did not feel strongly that they looked for opportunities to improve regularly, without being told to. This standard deviation of 0.929 indicates moderate variation in responses with some employees more likely to identify improvements, and others less likely. The mean score for CP4 was 2.98, with a standard deviation of 0.978, indicating that employees are dedicated to their organizations and want to do more to assist them achieve their goals. A mean score points to generally neutral ratings of employees' commitment and desire to go the extra mile. This indicates that they were not very enthusiastic about making extra efforts to contribute to organizational objectives. Overall, the contextual performance items had the widest range of responses, with the standard deviation of 0.978 for the item being the most variable. This means that there was a large variation among employees regarding organizational commitment and proactiveness to go the extra mile. The mean for employees' adaptation to change in the workplace and their positive attitude towards their work was 2.96 with a standard deviation of 0.929 for CP5. This mean was slightly below the neutral point, which suggests that overall, respondents were neutral toward positive adaptation in their workplaces. This indicates that employees were not very positive about their adaptation to changes or about maintaining constructive attitudes in general. A moderate variation in the responses is suggested by the standard deviation of 0.929, which means that the employees' experiences of changes at work were not exactly the same and they differed in their capacity to have positive attitudes. Overall, the scores on the contextual performance items ranged from 2.96 to 3.03 and the standard deviations from 0.885 to 0.978. Maintaining positive and cooperative working relationships was the most positively assessed aspect of contextual performance, with the highest mean (3.03) recorded by CP2. Positive adaptation to changes in the workplace was least strongly assessed in CP5 with a mean of 2.96. The results revealed moderate contextual performance, as employees did not agree or disagree strongly on any of the five items. The standard deviations were relatively high, indicating that there was a variance in helping behavior, cooperation, initiative, commitment and adaptability among employees. The mean of OCB1, which measures employees' willingness to do more than just their job to help their organizations achieve their overall success and effectiveness, was 2.98 with a standard deviation of 0.986. The mean reflects a generally uncharged review of employees' desire to go above and beyond the call of duty. This indicates that respondents were not very agreeable with the idea that they often did discretionary activities to help the organization succeed. The mean score is 4.51, with a standard deviation of 0.986, which suggests that there is moderate variation in the responses, reflecting the fact that employees varied as to the extent to which they were willing to perform beyond the boundaries of their formal role. The mean score for OCB2 (employees willingly attend organizational meetings, committees, and activities that advance organizational development) was 2.99 with a standard deviation of 0.948. The mean was slightly below the neutral point indicating that respondents were mostly neutral on their participation in the organizational activities based on their own will. The result suggests that staff were not very positive about their involvement in other activities or meetings, as well as their committees, which went beyond their work responsibilities. The moderate standard deviation of 0.948 suggests that there is some level of variance in the responses with regard to organizational activities, indicating that not all employees were equally inclined to participate. The mean of OCB3 (voluntary assistance by employees to colleagues who have tasks to complete, but are not formally required to be assisted) was 3.00 with a standard deviation of 0.901. The mean is precisely equal to the neutral point on the Likert scale or neutral rating of voluntary assistance to colleagues. This indicates that neither respondents strongly agreed nor strongly disagreed that they regularly helped other staff members when they went above and beyond their scope of duties. The moderate response variation with a standard deviation of 0.901 suggests there may be some differences in the willingness of employees to provide voluntary support to other employees. Employees reported a mean of 3.01 and standard deviation of 0.925 for OCB4, which indicated that they willingly assist new employees to learn their jobs and to know how to do them. The mean represents a moderate degree of agreement, indicating that general consensus was that it was acceptable for the respondents to agree to help newcomers understand their work and organizational processes. A positive inference that can be drawn from this finding is that supporting new employees was evaluated rather positively as compared to some other OCB behaviors. The standard deviation of 0.925 shows that the responses were moderately variable, meaning that employees varied in the extent to which they were helping new employees. A mean of 2.94 with a standard deviation of 0.908 was obtained for OCB5, which indicated that employees are courteous and considerate toward their coworkers to ensure a harmonious work place. This had the lowest average score for the OCB items. The overall finding indicated neutral attitudes, and perhaps a slightly less positive attitude towards colleagues' courtesy and consideration. This means that workers were not very confident that they routinely displayed behaviours that were supposed to enhance smooth working relationships. The standard deviation of 0.908 is fairly high, indicating moderate variability in responses and that some employees may have different perceptions of courtesy and consideration in the workplace. The overall mean of the OCB item ranged between 2.94 and 3.01, with the standard deviations ranging from 0.901 to 0.986. He/She helps new employees: OCB4 had the highest mean of 3.01, meaning that the most positively rated OCB behavior was assisting new employees. With the lowest mean score of 2.94, OCB5 indicated that the least positive assessment was made about being courteous and considerate of others at work. Results showed that the level of OCB was generally moderate and the responses were clustered around the neutral middle point. The standard deviations reveal that workers' levels of willingness to do more than their assigned job, attend organizational functions, help other workers, help new workers, and be courteous to them differed. The overall employee performance (EP) score was obtained by averaging the scores from three dimensions: task performance, contextual performance, and organizational citizenship behavior. The data in the results section indicates that the mean score for employee performance was 2.9901 and had a standard deviation of 0.78020 with 250 valid responses. The lowest score was 1.20 and the highest score was 5.00. The overall mean is 2.9901, which is very close to the neutral score of 3.00 on the 5-point Likert scale. This suggests that the respondents had a moderate self-perception of their employees' work. The result indicates that the employees had no strong agreement or disagreement with the statements assessing their performance. In terms of actual performance, it was seen that the employees perceived their performance as poor or good in task performance, contextual performance and organizational citizenship behavior. The overall standard deviation of 0.78020 signifies that there is moderate variance in the employee performance scores. This indicates that employees' general perceptions of their performance varied, but not as much as most of the individual performance measures. Conflicting reports were received by some who said that their performance was up and others who said it was down. The range from 1.20 to 5.00 also indicates that the performance assessments made by the respondents spanned a large part of the measurement scale. The results have implications to Bamburi Cement Company as regards employee performance. Overall, the mean was in the moderate range so there may be potential for developing staff capacity in achieving performance goals, meeting quality criteria, managing time and resources, being proactive, and performing discretionary organizational citizenship behaviors. But descriptive statistics do not identify causes of employee performance and it is not possible to say whether the observed performance is good or bad based on the company's official performance standards. Further analysis of the independent variables and hypothesis testing are needed for such conclusions: Note: TP: Task Performance, EP: Employee Performance, CP: Contextual performance, Organizational Citizenship Behavior: OCB.

Descriptive statistics for career concern

Table 4: presents the descriptive statistics for career concern among the sampled firms. The analysis covered 250 respondents, with responses measured on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, where higher scores indicated stronger agreement with the respective statements. CEN1: I frequently reflect on my long-term career aspirations and systematically make plans to achieve these goals, ensuring that my current work activities align with my envisioned professional trajectory (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012). The findings indicated that CEN1 had a mean of 3.06 and a standard deviation of 0.980. The mean suggested that employees at Bamburi Cement Company, Mombasa County, Kenya, moderately agreed that they frequently reflected on their long-term career aspirations and systematically made plans to achieve their professional goals. This indicated that employees demonstrated a moderate level of career concern through career planning and aligning their current work activities with their envisioned professional trajectory. The standard deviation of 0.980 showed a moderate variation in employees’ responses, suggesting that although many employees expressed agreement with the statement, their perceptions differed to some extent. CEN2: I consistently monitor and evaluate emerging trends, innovations, and changes within my industry to anticipate future career opportunities and prepare for potential shifts in occupational demands (Nota, Soresi, & Ginevra, 2020). The findings indicated that CEN2 had a mean of 2.98 and a standard deviation of 0.965. The mean suggested that employees moderately agreed that they consistently monitored and evaluated emerging industry trends, innovations, and changes to anticipate future career opportunities. This indicated that employees demonstrated a moderate level of awareness and preparedness concerning changes in occupational demands. However, the mean being slightly below 3.00 suggested that this aspect of career concern was not strongly demonstrated across all employees. The standard deviation of 0.965 showed moderate variation in responses, indicating that employees differed in the extent to which they monitored industry developments and prepared for future career opportunities. CEN3: I proactively prepare for potential career disruptions or challenges by developing strategies that allow me to remain flexible and resilient in the face of organizational or industry changes (Guo, Guan, & Jiang, 2021). The findings indicated that CEN3 had a mean of 2.92 and a standard deviation of 0.941. The mean suggested that employees moderately agreed that they proactively prepared for potential career disruptions and challenges by developing strategies to remain flexible and resilient. This indicated that employees had a moderate level of preparedness for organizational and industry changes, although proactive preparation for career disruptions was relatively less pronounced than some other aspects of career concern. The standard deviation of 0.941 showed moderate variation in employees’ responses, suggesting that employees differed in their ability and willingness to develop strategies for managing potential career challenges. CEN4: I establish specific, measurable objectives for my professional development to ensure steady progress toward my future career goals, rather than leaving career growth to chance (Porfeli & Savickas, 2013). The findings indicated that CEN4 had a mean of 2.97 and a standard deviation of 0.944. The mean suggested that employees moderately agreed that they established specific and measurable objectives for their professional development to ensure progress toward their future career goals. This indicated that employees demonstrated a moderate level of goal-setting and career planning, although the practice of establishing clear professional development objectives was not strongly evident among all employees. The standard deviation of 0.944 showed moderate variation in responses, indicating differences in the extent to which employees set measurable objectives and actively planned their professional development. CEN5: I actively seek guidance, mentorship, and relevant information from peers, supervisors, or professional networks to support my ongoing career planning and to enhance my readiness for future work responsibilities (Rudolph, Lavigne, & Zacher, 2017). The findings indicated that CEN5 had a mean of 2.99 and a standard deviation of 0.927. The mean suggested that employees moderately agreed that they actively sought guidance, mentorship, and relevant career information from peers, supervisors, and professional networks. This indicated that employees demonstrated a moderate level of engagement in seeking support for career planning and preparing for future work responsibilities. The standard deviation of 0.927 showed moderate variation in responses, suggesting that while some employees actively sought mentorship and career guidance, others engaged in such activities less frequently. Note: CEN: career concern

Correlation analysis

The Pearson correlation analysis investigated the correlation between employee experience (EXPP), Gender (GG), Age (AE), Career Concern (CEN), and Employee Performance (EP) of 250 respondents. There was a positive and significant correlation between employee experience and employee concern in the career (r = .318, p < .001) and employee performance (r = .394, p < .001). Career concern and employee performance were positively and significantly correlated with gender (r = .273, p < .001 and r = .341, p < .001, respectively). Career concern (r =.286, p < .001) and employee performance (r =.360, p < .001) were positively significantly related to age. There was a significant correlation between career concern and employee performance (r = .740, p < .001).

Note: Employee experience (EXPP), Gender (GG), Age (AE), Career Concern (CEN), and Employee Performance (EP)

Regression analysis (Hypotheses testing)

Hierarchical regression analysis examined the contribution of career adaptability to employee performance at Bamburi Cement, Mombasa County, Kenya, beyond employee experience, gender and age. In Model 1, the control variables explained 39.1% of the variance in employee performance (R² = .391), and the model was statistically significant, F(3, 246) = 52.699, p < .001. Model 2, which added career concern, increased the explained variance to 63.4% (R² = .634), representing a significant 24.3 percentage-point increase (ΔR² = .243), F-change (6, 243) = 70.293, p < .001. Career concern (β = .278), had positive and statistically significant coefficients (p < .001). Employee experience, gender and age also remained positive and significant predictors. These findings demonstrate that career concern significantly improved the explanation of employee performance beyond the control variables.

Employee experience (EXPP), Gender (GG), Age (AE), Career Concern (CEEN).

6. Discussion

The findings demonstrate that career concern positively and significantly influences employee performance at Bamburi Cement, Mombasa County, Kenya. The significant increase in explained variance from 39.1% to 63.4% confirms that career concern adds substantial explanatory power beyond employee experience, gender and age. This suggests that employees who actively prepare for and invest in their future careers are more likely to demonstrate improved performance. The positive coefficients for employee experience, gender and age further indicate that these characteristics contribute to performance. The findings underscore the importance of career development initiatives in enhancing employee performance and supporting organizational effectiveness.

7. Conclusion

The study reveals that career concern has a significant positive influence on the employee performance at Bamburi cement Mombasa County Kenya. Beyond employee experience, gender and age, we found that 24.3% of the variance in employee performance was explained by career concern. The results show that, when employees think ahead and plan how to advance their careers, they work more effectively. In addition, the work experience and gender and age of the employees also played a significant role in performance. Hence, the factor of concern for a career is an important determinant of employee performance. Investing in employees' career planning, future orientation and professional development can improve their performance and help the organization be productive in the long run at Bamburi Cement.

8. Recommendation of the study

Policymakers Recommendations

The national policies for employment should be designed and enhanced to foster career growth and employee productivity within manufacturing firms. The Ministry of Labor and Social Protection should promote and encourage employers to implement career guidance, skills training and career progression plans. Policies should encourage on-going training, mentoring and gender equal levels of employment for staff in all ages and genders. Employability should be promoted by the development of occupational standards, which should be led by government agencies and industry partners in the process of career planning. Moreover, policymakers should also give incentives to organizations investing in employee development. This would enhance the capacity of the workforce, employee productivity and boost the competitiveness and productivity of the manufacturing industry in Kenya.

Recommendation to Manages

Management of Bamburi Cement should set up career development programs to further improve employees' career concern and performance. These programs should involve career planning events, mentoring, coaching and professional development opportunities. Managers should encourage staff to develop career objectives, to discover their growth requirements and prepare for future obligations. Career aspirations and individualized development plans should be included in regular performance evaluations. Equitable promotion, training and advancement opportunities based on gender, age and experience are another area that managers should ensure they have in place. The management can motivate their employees, enhance their performance and boost the retention rates and productivity of the company by supporting their future career orientation and growth.

Theoretical Implications

The results corroborate Career Construction Theory in that a significant relationship exists between career concern and employee performance. The results indicate that employees' mean career orientation could be related to better workplace outcomes. The findings take career construction perspectives beyond career development to the organizational level in the manufacturing sector. Moreover, the high levels of employee experience, gender and age suggest that there may be a role for employee characteristics as well as career-related factors in explaining performance. As such, the study reiterates the importance of career concern as an explanatory construct and offers a basis for further theoretical exploration into various organizational settings.

References