Collaborative service robots and employee career sustainability: a mixed-methods study of trust and innovativeness as moderators

Purpose This study aims to explore how the integration of collaborative service robots (cobots) in the workplace influences employees’ long-term career sustainability. Specifically, it investigates the moderating roles of perceived innovativeness, trust and employee type in this relationship. The research integrates insights from decent work theory, career sustainability theory, perceived innovativeness theory and initial trust theory to develop and validate a comprehensive conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach A sequential mixed-method design was adopted. In Phase I, qualitative data were gathered through in-depth interviews with ten senior women managers from software development firms in India. Using grounded theory analysis via NVivo, key themes and constructs were identified. In Phase II, a structured questionnaire was developed based on these findings and distributed among employees working in manufacturing, logistics and hospitality sectors – industries actively using service robots. A total of 755 usable responses were analysed using structural equation modelling with SmartPLS 4. Findings The analysis confirmed that human–robot collaboration effectiveness, perceived working conditions and perceived autonomy significantly impact employees’ career sustainability, as reflected through their health, happiness and productivity. Furthermore, both trust in service robots and perceived organisational innovativeness emerged as significant mediators in these relationships. In addition, the strength of these relationships varied across managerial and non-managerial employees, highlighting the contingent role of employee type in shaping career sustainability outcomes in robot-enabled workplaces. Practical implications The findings provide actionable insights for HR professionals, technology managers and policymakers by underscoring the need for role-sensitive implementation strategies when introducing collaborative robots. Tailoring trust-building and innovation initiatives according to employee roles can help ensure that automation supports, rather than undermines, sustainable career development. Originality/value This study advances the human-centred automation literature by introducing employee type as a critical boundary condition in the relationship between collaborative robotics and career sustainability. Through a multidisciplinary and mixed-methods approach, it offers nuanced theoretical and practical contributions to understanding differential employee experiences in technologically augmented work environments.