Investments in a Sustainable Workforce in Europe by Tanja van der Lippe Zoltán Lippényi

Author:Tanja van der Lippe, Zoltán Lippényi [Tanja van der Lippe, Zoltán Lippényi]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Business & Economics, Labor, General, Organizational Behavior, Social Science, Sociology
ISBN: 9781351105323
Google: eSI0zgEACAAJ
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2019-01-15T03:47:46+00:00

HR investments in employability

Employability can be defined as the extent to which workers are able and willing to work productively. The term ‘productive work’ refers to adequately performing one’s current job or, in the event of change, other tasks or jobs (Van Harten, Knies, & Leisink, 2015). Careers are extended because of an aging population and, in combination with other developments such as ongoing technological innovation, it is of vital importance that employees do not only have the ability to perform their current job, but are motivated to continue working in constantly changing work environments as well (Van den Broeck et al., 2014). This means that employability consists of up-to-date expertise or competences together with a willingness to continually develop and adapt to changes in the work environment. Such attributes help employees survive in contemporary turbulent labor markets (Thijssen, Van der Heijden, & Rocco, 2008).

It is argued that employability has benefits for both organizations and employees, and research shows the positive effects of employability on individuals’ job performance (Kinnunen, Mäkikangas, Mauno, Siponen, & Nätti, 2011), commitment (De Cuyper & De Witte, 2011) and health (Berntson & Marklund, 2007). Many organizations therefore develop and implement practices aimed at increasing their employees’ employability (Fleischmann, Koster, & Schippers, 2015; Veld, Semeijn, & Vuuren, 2015). However, research examining the effectiveness of these practices is largely lacking (Van Harten et al., 2017).

In addition, employability studies tend to focus merely on HR practices aimed at training and development, as such practices can stimulate the growth and maintenance of employees’ capabilities and motivations. Although development investments have been shown to contribute to employability, other sets of HR practices could be important as well (Van Harten et al., 2017). Development practices can be expected to primarily boost individuals’ capabilities and development motivations; however, as described above, employability consists of more than just these aspects. Offering flexible work arrangements could be another important way to boost employability as it enhances employee flexibility and adaptability by, among other things, providing employees with the opportunity to balance work and family demands (Stavrou, 2005).

In this study we aim to expand the focus on development HR in employability research and examine the performance and well-being effects of two different sets of HR practices that are likely to stimulate employability: (1) training and development opportunities; and (2) flexible work arrangements. The two sets are included in this chapter as they are directly linked to the two elements of our definition of employability. As illustrated above, both sets can be expected to relate to these two elements; essentially, training and development opportunities can be expected to primarily stimulate abilities and development motivations, while flexible work arrangements are likely to primarily stimulate flexibility/adaptability motivations.

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