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. 2024 Nov 11;24(1):3103.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-20576-9.

Sustainable employability and work outcomes: a prospective study

Sait Gürbüz  1   2 , Arnold B Bakker  3   4 , Margot C W Joosen  5 , Erik Noordik  6 , Robin N Kok  7 , Gregorius B S Penders  7 , Evelien P M Brouwers  5
Affiliations

Sustainable employability and work outcomes: a prospective study

Sait Gürbüz et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: In recent years, sustainable employability, rooted in the capability approach, has received substantial attention due to its associations with work and health-related outcomes. While previous studies have indicated that being able and enabled to achieve important work values (i.e., work capabilities) is positively associated with desirable work outcomes, most of these studies have primarily employed a cross-sectional design to explore these associations. This study aimed to examine the long-term relationships between work capabilities and work and wellbeing-related outcomes, including work ability, work engagement, task and creative performance, organizational citizenship behavior, organizational commitment, job and life satisfaction, turnover intention, and burnout symptoms.

Methods: Data were collected from 251 randomly selected Dutch employees through a two-wave survey conducted in 2021 and 2023 via the Longitudinal Internet Studies for the Social Sciences panel. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess these associations while controlling for potential covariates.

Results: The results revealed that participants valued a diverse range of work capabilities but encountered challenges in realizing these valued capabilities. The capability set positively predicted desirable outcomes and was associated with reduced burnout over a two-year period.

Conclusions: Supporting and enabling employees to realize their capabilities is essential for improving favorable work outcomes and diminishing burnout in today's volatile work environment. These findings further emphasize the importance of organizations improving conversion factors to bridge the gap between valued capabilities and their actualization.

Keywords: Capability approach; Capability set; Sustainable employability; Wellbeing; Work engagement; Work-related outcomes.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate The study design, protocol, and data management plan, as outlined in registration number RP606, received approval from Tilburg University’s Ethics Review Board. All procedures adhered to the applicable guidelines and regulations set forth by the Ethics Review Board. Written informed consent was secured from all participants through the LISS panel. Consent for publication Not applicable. Competing interests The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Simplified version of SE model based on the CA. Adapted from Van der Klink et al. [3].
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Patterns of capabilities by importance, enablement, and achievement
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Gürbüz S, Joosen MCW, Kooij DTAM, Bakker AB, van der Klink JJL, Brouwers EPM. Measuring sustainable employability: psychometric properties of the capability set for work questionnaire. BMC Public Health. 2022;22:1184. - PMC - PubMed
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