Drawing on self-determination theory (SDT) and career construction theory (CCT), this study examines whether and how digital workplace conditions influence employees' career adaptability through job satisfaction in Vietnam's technology sector. Specifically, it proposes that employees' positive evaluative experience of digitally enabled work, reflected in job satisfaction, serves as the psychological mechanism through which digital workplace conditions translate into adaptive career resources that support effective functioning in digital work settings.
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 312 employees working in technology firms in Hanoi, Vietnam. Data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to assess measurement validity and to test the proposed direct and indirect relationships among the constructs.
The results reveal that digital work environment factors - namely technology readiness, digital leadership, organisational culture, and task–technology fit - have significant and positive effects on job satisfaction. Job satisfaction, in turn, significantly enhances employees' career adaptability. Moreover, the indirect effects of all four digital workplace conditions on career adaptability through job satisfaction are significant, thereby confirming the mediating role of job satisfaction and suggesting that supportive digital workplace conditions enhance career adaptability by fostering more positive evaluations of digitally enabled work.
The findings suggest that organisations should approach digital transformation not only as a technology implementation issue but also as a people-and-performance challenge. In practice, managers should prioritise improving task–technology fit and building a supportive digital culture, while strengthening employees' technology readiness and leaders' day-to-day digital support. Job satisfaction can also be used as an early diagnostic indicator of whether digital workplace conditions are enabling employee adjustment and career adaptability.
This study advances theory by conceptualising the digital workplace as an integrated socio-technical system shaping employees' career adaptability through people-related processes. By integrating SDT and CCT, it identifies job satisfaction as a key psychological mechanism linking digital workplace conditions to career adaptability. Empirical evidence from Vietnam's technology sector further extends existing knowledge beyond Western contexts and highlights the critical role of motivationally supportive digital work environments in developing employee adaptability relevant to organisational effectiveness.
