<p>Future work selves (FWS) have been widely studied for its capacity to affect employees’ career management, yet little is known about its impact on current organizational effectiveness. Drawing on proactive motivation theory, we argue that a salient FWS leads to elevated job satisfaction and proactive behavior at the current workplace via boosting work aspirations, with such influence attenuated by current-future work self similarity (CFWSS). Using multi-wave data collected from the public sector and government employees in China, we revealed a motivational process in which future work self salience (FWSS) boosts employees’ work aspirations, and in turn, enhances their job satisfaction and engagement in proactive behavior. Meanwhile, the motivational effect of FWSS was shown to weaken when there is a high similarity between current and future work selves. This study links FWSS with current employee outcomes at work. Through examining the mediating effect of work aspiration, it also highlights the motivational process of employee attitudes and behavior. It suggests that work aspiration can be a core motivational mediator transferring FWSS to current workplace outcomes.</p>