PE fit and career sustainability: The interplay between supplementary and complementary fit in predicting happiness, health, and productivity at work

This paper investigates the impact of person-environment (PE) fit on career sustainability, focusing on supplementary and complementary fit as essential components for achieving productive, healthy, and happy careers. Despite the common belief that high levels of both fits yield the best outcomes, empirical validation has been lacking. Utilizing polynomial regression and response surface analysis, we examined these fits in two studies—a longitudinal survey (N=201) and a diary study (N=83)— to explore three theoretical models of optimum fit: a maximum alignment model, an optimal-distinctiveness model, and a compensatory model. Our findings indicate that both supplementary and complementary fit significantly predict sustainable career indicators, confirming their critical importance to career sustainability. Specifically, high congruence between these fits consistently yielded superior outcomes, supporting the maximum alignment model. In contrast, incongruent fits showed significant positive effects on career outcomes also, supporting a compensatory logic, whereas the optimal-distinctiveness model received no empirical support. These results underscore the complex interplay between different types of PE fit and their collective influence on important career outcomes.