Sustainable employability
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Sustainable employability generally refers to employees’ capacities to function in work and on the labor market throughout their working lives.[1][2] The topic emerged in response to population aging and the pressure that puts on retirement systems. This pressure requires the maximization of participation in paid work to be able to maintain valued retirement systems and other societally valued institutions (e.g., high quality healthcare). Consequently, research in this topic area focuses on identifying aspects of an employment situation (i.e., the work, work context, and individuals themselves, that prevent harm to individuals' ability to function at work and on the labor market. The purpose of this research is to ultimately develop interventions,[3][4][5] in organizations that enable individuals to work in ways that are beneficial - or at least not harmful - to both themselves and the organizations they may be employed in. Much of the initial research has concentrated on older workers as this specific group was considered to need the most immediate attention.[6][7][8] However, later work questions whether age really place such an important role in sustainable employability.[9][10]
Most definitions of sustainable employability incorporate several domains of functioning at work.[1] As workplace functioning is a multifaceted concept, aspects like employability, work ability, work engagement (sometimes referred to as 'vitality' in the context of sustainable employability) are included.[11][12] However, several definitions have been forwarded in the scientific literature that differ in nuanced ways and that emphasize different aspects of functioning.[13][14][15] Other approaches particularly propose defining sustainable employability as a form of an enduring fit between a person and their work.[16] Such approaches show a strong connection to previous thinking on Person-Job fit and Person-Environment fit, with the extension that such a fit should be good and be sustained over time.
A commonly cited definition of sustainable employability[2] is based on Amartya Sen's concept of capabilities. Within this capability approach to sustainable employability, individuals are considered to be sustainably employable when they have the capabilities to achieve things they value in their work and are enabled by their work to do so.[2] Specifically, within this approach, seven capabilities that people are thought to generally value and hope to achieve via their work are a) using their knowledge and skills; b) developing their knowledge and skills; c) being involved in important decisions regarding their work; d) building meaningful relationships in work; e) setting their own goals in work; f) earning a good income via work; and g) contributing to creating something valuable in work.[17] Importantly, this approach recognizes that work environments are crucial in facilitating people to work. However, the approach has received some criticism, as capabilities constitute both characteristics of individuals and their employment context, which complicates separating cause and effect.[18]
Most recent approaches to sustainable employability integrate the above ideas and resolve their limitations. They do so by recognizing sustainable employability as an integrative concept that consists of several aspects of functioning, emphasizing the long term component of sustainability and the need for longitudinal research, and positioning sustainable employability as an outcome of interacting work, work contextual and individual characteristics.[1]
As the field of sustainable employability research matures, research increasingly considers sustainable employability of specific groups of workers or segments of the labor market.[19][20][21][22] Additionally, this initially Northern European topic is now increasingly studied in other parts of the world and particularly those that face similar labor market or social security systems issues.[23][24][25][26]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Fleuren, Bram P. I.; de Grip, Andries; Jansen, Nicole W. H.; Kant, IJmert; Zijlstra, Fred R. H. (January 2020). "Unshrouding the Sphere from the Clouds: Towards a Comprehensive Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Employability". Sustainability. 12 (16): 6366. doi:10.3390/su12166366. ISSN 2071-1050.
- ^ a b c van der Klink, Jac JL; Bültmann, Ute; Burdorf, Alex; Schaufeli, Wilmar B; Zijlstra, Fred RH; Abma, Femke I; Brouwer, Sandra; van der Wilt, Gert Jan (2016). "Sustainable employability — definition, conceptualization, and implications: A perspective based on the capability approach". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 42 (1): 71–79. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3531. hdl:2066/168167. ISSN 0355-3140. JSTOR 43999197. PMID 26595874. S2CID 33433351.
- ^ Noben, Cindy YG; Nijhuis, Frans JN; de Rijk, Angelique E.; Evers, Silvia MAA (2012-01-18). "Design of a trial-based economic evaluation on the cost-effectiveness of employability interventions among work disabled employees or employees at risk of work disability: The CASE-study". BMC Public Health. 12 (1): 43. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-43. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 3273437. PMID 22257557.
- ^ Heijkants, Ceciel H.; de Wind, Astrid; van Hooff, Madelon L. M.; Geurts, Sabine A. E.; Boot, Cécile R. L. (2023-03-01). "Effectiveness of Team and Organisational Level Workplace Interventions Aimed at Improving Sustainable Employability of Aged Care Staff: A Systematic Review". Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. 33 (1): 37–60. doi:10.1007/s10926-022-10064-5. ISSN 1573-3688. PMC 10025231. PMID 36149548.
- ^ Hazelzet, Emmelie; Picco, Eleonora; Houkes, Inge; Bosma, Hans; de Rijk, Angelique (January 2019). "Effectiveness of Interventions to Promote Sustainable Employability: A Systematic Review". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 16 (11): 1985. doi:10.3390/ijerph16111985. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 6604015. PMID 31167462.
- ^ Verbrugghe, Mathieu; Kuipers, Yoline; Vriesacker, Bart; Peeters, Ilse; Mortelmans, Katrien (2016-04-28). "Sustainable employability for older workers: an explorative survey of belgian companies". Archives of Public Health. 74 (1): 15. doi:10.1186/s13690-016-0128-x. ISSN 2049-3258. PMC 4848867. PMID 27127626.
- ^ Koolhaas, Wendy (2014). Sustainable employability of ageing workers (Thesis fully internal (DIV) thesis). Groningen: s.n.
- ^ Brouwer, S.; Lange, A. de; Mei, S. van der; Wessels, M.; Koolhaas, W.; Bültmann, U.; Heijden, B. I. J. M. van der; Klink, J. van der (2012). Duurzame inzetbaarheid van de oudere werknemer: stand van zaken. Groningen : Universitair Medisch Centrum Groningen. ISBN 978-94-6070-045-3.
- ^ Fleuren, Bram PI; van Amelsvoort, Ludovic GPM; de Grip, Andries; Zijlstra, Fred RH; Kant, IJmert (2018). "Time takes us all? A two-wave observational study of age and time effects on sustainable employability". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 44 (5): 475–484. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3741. ISSN 0355-3140. JSTOR 26567031. PMID 29870047. S2CID 46934746.
- ^ Pak, Karen; Furunes, Trude; De Lange, Annet H. (January 2022). "Age Discrimination and Employability in Healthcare Work: A Double-Edged Sword for Older Workers?". Sustainability. 14 (9): 5385. doi:10.3390/su14095385. hdl:2066/284694. ISSN 2071-1050.
- ^ Vuuren, Tinka van; Caniëls, Marjolein C. J.; Semeijn, Judith H. (2011-12-01). "Duurzame inzetbaarheid en een leven lang leren". Gedrag & Organisatie (in Dutch). 24 (4). doi:10.5117/2011.024.004.357. ISSN 0921-5077.
- ^ Le Blanc, Pascale M.; Van der Heijden, Beatrice I. J. M.; Van Vuuren, Tinka (2017). ""I WILL SURVIVE" A Construct Validation Study on the Measurement of Sustainable Employability Using Different Age Conceptualizations". Frontiers in Psychology. 8: 1690. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01690. ISSN 1664-1078. PMC 5627018. PMID 29033875.
- ^ Harten, Eliza Jasmijn van (2016-11-04). "Employable Ever After: Examining the antecedents and outcomes of sustainable employability in a hospital context". dspace.library.uu.nl. hdl:1874/340549. Retrieved 2023-05-15.
- ^ Brouwers, Livia AM; Engels, Josephine A.; Heerkens, Yvonne F.; van der Beek, Allard J. (2015-06-16). "Development of a Vitality Scan related to workers' sustainable employability: a study assessing its internal consistency and construct validity". BMC Public Health. 15 (1): 551. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1894-z. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 4467054. PMID 26076659.
- ^ Peters, Velibor; Engels, Josephine A.; de Rijk, Angelique E.; Nijhuis, Frans J. N. (2015-10-01). "Sustainable employability in shiftwork: related to types of work schedule rather than age". International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health. 88 (7): 881–893. doi:10.1007/s00420-014-1015-9. ISSN 1432-1246. PMID 25578669. S2CID 7459905.
- ^ Sanders, Jos; Dorenbosch, Luc; Blonk, Roland (2015), Vuori, Jukka; Blonk, Roland; Price, Richard H. (eds.), "The Fragility of Employability: A Dynamic Perspective and Examples from the Netherlands", Sustainable Working Lives: Managing Work Transitions and Health throughout the Life Course, Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being, Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands, pp. 187–214, doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9798-6_11, ISBN 978-94-017-9798-6, retrieved 2023-05-15
- ^ Abma, Femke I.; Brouwer, Sandra; de Vries, Haitze J.; Arends, Iris; Robroek, Suzan JW; Cuijpers, Maarten PJ; van der Wilt, Gert Jan; Bültmann, Ute; van der Klink, Jac JL (2016). "The capability set for work: development and validation of a new questionnaire". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 42 (1): 34–42. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3532. hdl:2066/168201. ISSN 0355-3140. PMID 26618990. S2CID 36055176.
- ^ Fleuren, Bram PI; de Grip, Andries; Jansen, Nicole WH; Kant, IJmert; Zijlstra, Fred RH (2016). "Critical reflections on the currently leading definition of sustainable employability". Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health. 42 (6): 557–560. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3585. ISSN 0355-3140. PMID 27548816. S2CID 4833998.
- ^ Roczniewska, Marta; Richter, Anne; Hasson, Henna; Schwarz, Ulrica von Thiele (January 2020). "Predicting Sustainable Employability in Swedish Healthcare: The Complexity of Social Job Resources". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 17 (4): 1200. doi:10.3390/ijerph17041200. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 7068286. PMID 32069935.
- ^ van Casteren, Patricia A.J.; Meerman, Jan; Brouwers, Evelien P.M.; van Dam, Arno; van der Klink, Jac J.L. (2021-02-23). "How can wellbeing at work and sustainable employability of gifted workers be enhanced? A qualitative study from a capability approach perspective". BMC Public Health. 21 (1): 392. doi:10.1186/s12889-021-10413-8. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 7901097. PMID 33622286.
- ^ Tonnon, Susanne C.; van der Veen, Rozan; Westerman, Marjan J.; Robroek, Suzan J.W.; van der Ploeg, Hidde P.; van der Beek, Allard J.; Proper, Karin I. (2017). "The Employer Perspective on Sustainable Employability in the Construction Industry". Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 59 (1): 85–91. doi:10.1097/JOM.0000000000000913. ISSN 1076-2752. JSTOR 48501375. PMID 28045803. S2CID 205720027.
- ^ Neupane, Subas; Kyrönlahti, Saila; K. C., Prakash; Siukola, Anna; Kosonen, Hanna; Lumme-Sandt, Kirsi; Nikander, Pirjo; Nygård, Clas-Håkan (January 2022). "Indicators of Sustainable Employability among Older Finnish Postal Service Employees: A Longitudinal Study of Age and Time Effects". Sustainability. 14 (9): 5729. doi:10.3390/su14095729. ISSN 2071-1050.
- ^ Deng, Jianwei; Liu, Jiahao; Deng, Wenhao; Yang, Tianan; Duan, Zhezhe (January 2021). "Redefinition and Measurement Dimensions of Sustainable Employability Based on the swAge-Model". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 18 (24): 13230. doi:10.3390/ijerph182413230. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 8701305. PMID 34948839.
- ^ Rhee, Chang Seop; Woo, Sohee; Yu, So-Jin; Rhee, Hyunjung (January 2021). "Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainable Employability: Empirical Evidence from Korea". Sustainability. 13 (14): 8114. doi:10.3390/su13148114. ISSN 2071-1050.
- ^ Jabeen, Qudsia; Nadeem, Muhammadi Sabra; Raziq, Muhammad Mustafa; Sajjad, Aymen (April 2022). "Linking individuals' resources with (perceived) sustainable employability: Perspectives from conservation of resources and social information processing theory". International Journal of Management Reviews. 24 (2): 233–254. doi:10.1111/ijmr.12276. ISSN 1460-8545. S2CID 238644748.
- ^ Picco, Eleonora; Gragnano, Andrea; Daghini, Arianna; Miglioretti, Massimo (January 2022). "Systematic Review of Intervention Studies to Foster Sustainable Employability Core Components: Implications for Workplace Promotion". Sustainability. 14 (6): 3300. doi:10.3390/su14063300. hdl:10281/360835. ISSN 2071-1050.