Employees’ level of sustainable employability is influenced by their health. In our study we tested whether self-tracking devices – devices that provide the user with reliable and continuous feedback on one or more health domains – can be useful tools in order to increase employees’ health and, as a result, sustainable employability. Twelve employees of a small firm were provided with self-tracking devices used to measure physical activity, sleep patterns or stress-level. During three months they used the devices and were supervised by a coach. Before, during and after several types of data were gathered: questionnaires measuring quality of life (SF-12), interviews, logbooks and the devices’ data. The participants showed higher levels of functional status, wellbeing, physical and mental health after the project, they indicated higher levels of feelings of competence regarding healthy behaviour, and they could sum up examples of changed behaviour. The input of the coach was regarded valuable in setting proper goals, in relating the user’s specific goals to more abstract, ‘higher order’ goals and in providing social support when necessary. The results led to the conclusion that the use of self-tracking devices combined with supervision by a coach is a useful tool to promote sustainable employability.
Employees’ level of sustainable employability is influenced by their health. In our study we tested whether self-tracking devices – devices that provide the user with reliable and continuous feedback on one or more health domains – can be useful tools in order to increase employees’ health and, as a result, sustainable employability. Twelve employees of a small firm were provided with self-tracking devices used to measure physical activity, sleep patterns or stress-level. During three months they used the devices and were supervised by a coach. Before, during and after several types of data were gathered: questionnaires measuring quality of life (SF-12), interviews, logbooks and the devices’ data. The participants showed higher levels of functional status, wellbeing, physical and mental health after the project, they indicated higher levels of feelings of competence regarding healthy behaviour, and they could sum up examples of changed behaviour. The input of the coach was regarded valuable in setting proper goals, in relating the user’s specific goals to more abstract, ‘higher order’ goals and in providing social support when necessary. The results led to the conclusion that the use of self-tracking devices combined with supervision by a coach is a useful tool to promote sustainable employability.
INTRODUCTION: The recent concept of sustainable employability (SE), which refers to being able and enabled to achieve valuable work goals, has lately attracted substantial attention in many developed countries. Although limited cross-sectional studies found that SE in the form of capability set was positively associated with work outcomes, why and through which mechanism SE is related to crucial work outcomes remains still unexplored. Therefore, the present three-wave study aimed to (1) investigate the SE-work outcomes linkage over time, and (2) uncover the psychological pathway between SE and two work outcomes (i.e., task performance and job satisfaction) by proposing work engagement as a mediator.METHODS: To test the mediation process, we approached CentERdata to collect data among a representative sample of 287 Dutch workers. We used a three-wave design with approximately a 2-month time lag.RESULTS: The results of bootstrap-based path modeling indicated that SE was a significant predictor of task performance but not job satisfaction over time. Work engagement mediated the relationships between SE and (a) task performance and (b) job satisfaction.DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that organizations may foster workers' task performance and job satisfaction by configuring a work context that fosters SE-allowing workers to be able and be enabled to achieve important work goals.
In 2050 wil Nederland volledig circulair zijn, gericht op het optimaal inzetten en hergebruiken van grondstoffen en energie in de verschillende schakels van de productieketen. Er zullen kansen voor circulaire bedrijfsvoering ontstaan en dat gaat niet alleen over innovatieve technologie. Meerwaarde zit ook in samenwerking van de diverse actoren binnen waardenketens in een circulaire maatschappij. Draagvlak bij bedrijven, regionale stakeholders en consumenten voor circulair denken en handelen is van cruciaal belang. Dit resulteert in een uitdaging om multidisciplinair een bijdrage te leveren aan circulaire economie. Niet alleen vanuit technische oplossingen maar ook vanuit een sociaaleconomisch perspectief. De doelstelling van het postdoc onderzoek is het opzetten van een programmalijn meervoudige waardecreatie en employability met focus op twee aspecten: inzicht in businessmodellen en human capital voor een circulaire transitie van een bedrijf. Circulaire economie biedt bedrijven nieuwe kansen maar roept ook vragen op rondom de aansluiting van bestaande businessmodellen. Circulaire economie komt alleen tot stand in een proces van transitie. Niet alleen zullen bedrijven op een andere manier moeten omgaan met materialen en producten, maar ook marktproposities, employabilitybeleid, bewustwording en samenwerkingsvormen moeten veranderen om de transitie naar een circulaire economie te laten slagen. Circulaire economie vraagt om een mindset, businessmodellen, waardeketens en circulaire competenties die de technische innovatie versterken. Om deze transitie te realiseren is een nieuw perspectief op de regionale human capital agenda noodzakelijk. Het betreft onderwijsketens (mbo, hbo en wo) in technologie, economie en business, maar ook ‘leven lang leren’ arrangementen. De programmalijn meervoudige waardecreatie en employability richt zich op de Limburgse regio, in het bijzonder op de ambities rondom de Brightlands Chemelot Campus en zal bijdragen aan een ontbrekend onderdeel in een real life lab omgeving, met het ontwikkelen en valideren van een businessmodel en human capital die nodig zijn voor de circulaire transitie van een onderneming.
In our increasingly global society, organizations face many opportunities in innovation, improved productivity and easy access to talent. At the same time, one of the greatest challenges, businesses experience nowadays, is the importance of social and/or human capital for their effectiveness and success (Backhaus and Tikoo, 2004; Mosley, 2007; Theurer et al., 2018; Tumasjan et al., 2020). High-quality employees are crucial to the competitive strength of an organization in the global economy, as these employees have a major influence on organizational reputation (Dowling at al., 2012). An important question is how, under these global circumstances, organizations and companies in the Netherlands can best be stimulated to attract and preserve social capital.Several studies have suggested the scarcity of talent and the crucial importance of gaining competitive advantage with recruitment communication to find the fit between personal and fundamental organizational characteristics and values for employees (Cable and Edwards, 2004; Bhatnagar and Srivastava, 2008; ManPower Group, 2014; European Communication Monitor (ECM), 2018). In order to become an employer of choice, organizations have to not only stand out from the crowd during the recruitment process but work on developing loyalty and a culture of trust in their relationship with employees (ECM, 2018). Employer Branding focuses on the process of promoting an organization, as the “employer of choice” to a desired target group, which an organization aims to attract and retain. This process encompasses building an identifiable and unique employer identity or, more specifically, “the promotion of a unique and attractive image” as an employer (Backhaus 2004, p. 117; Backhaus and Tikoo 2004, p. 502).One of the biggest challenges in the North of the Netherlands at the moment is the urgent need for qualified labor in the IT, energy and healthcare sectors and the excess supply of international graduates who are able to find a job in the North of the Netherlands (AWVN, 2019). Talent development, as part of the regional labor market and education policy, has been an important part of government programs and strategies in the region (VNO-NCW Noord, 2018). For instance, North Netherlands Alliance (SNN) signed a Northern Innovation Agenda for the 2014-2020 period. SNN encourages, facilitates and connects ambitions focused on the development of the Northern Netherlands. Also, the Social Economic council North Netherlands issued an advice on the labour market in the North Netherlands (SER Noord Nederland, 2017). Knowledge institutions also contribute through employability programs. Another example is the Regional Talent Agreement (Talent Akkoord) framework issued by the Groningen educational institutions, employers and employees’ organizations and regional authorities in which they jointly commit to recruiting, training, retaining and developing talent for the Northern labor market. Most of the hires with a maximum of five year of experience at companies are represented by millennials. To learn what values make an attractive brand for employees in the of the North of the Netherlands, we conducted a first study. When ranking the most important values of corporate culture which matter to young employees, they mention creative freedom, purposeful work, flexibility, work-life balance as well as personal development. Whereas attractive workplace and job security do not matter to such a degree. A positive work environment and a good relationship with colleagues are valued highly (Hein, 2019).To date, as far as we know, no other employer branding studies have been carried out for the North of the Netherlands. Further insight is needed into the role of employer branding as a powerful tool to retain talent in Northern industry in particular.The goal of this study is to provide a detailed analysis of the regional industry in the Northern Netherlands and contribute to: 1) the scientific body of knowledge about whether and how employer branding can strengthen the attractiveness of a regional industry in the labor market; 2) the application of this knowledge and insights by companies and governments in local policy development in the North of the Netherlands.
Ecosystemen voor missiegedreven innovatie zijn een belangrijk middel om via cycli van onderzoek, experiment en uitrol, maatschappelijke transities te versnellen en innovaties en verdienvermogen op te schalen. Human capital en regionale inbedding zijn belangrijke aspecten van de Kennis- en Innovatie Agenda (KIA) Maatschappelijk Verdienvermogen (MV). Deze SPRONG-groep richt zich op die wisselwerking. De noodzaak voor human capital innovatie is groot vanwege drie kernproblemen op de arbeidsmarkt: • Onvoldoende en ongerichte economische groei door krimp van de beroepsbevolking en onvoldoende arbeidsproductiviteitsgroei; • Verschuivende vraag naar arbeid op de arbeidsmarkt als gevolg van verschillende transities; • Toenemende kloof tussen de toekomstige arbeidsvraag en de skills van de huidige beroepsbevolking. De afgelopen jaren zijn meer en minder succesvolle (regionale) experimenten/programma’s gerealiseerd voor ontwikkeling en benutting van human capital. Maar lessen worden nog onvoldoende gedeeld tussen regio’s en sectoren, werken nog onvoldoende door in het mkb, bereiken te weinig de doelgroep van praktijkopgeleide medewerkers, en hun effectiviteit wordt te weinig onderzocht. Dit SPRONG-programma adresseert die opgave door een landelijke onderzoeksgroep met vijf lectoraten en belangrijke partners uit bedrijfsleven, overheid en onderwijs te ontwikkelen: • Lectoraat Dynamische Talentinterventies Fontys (dr. Marian Thunnissen); • Lectoraat Employability Transition Saxion (dr. Stephan Corporaal); • Lectoraat Human Capital Hanzehogeschool Groningen (dr. Harm van Lieshout en dr. Arjen Edzes); • Lectoraat Leren tijdens de beroepsloopbaan HAN (dr. Jos Sanders); • Lectoraat Leven Lang Ontwikkelen Windesheim (dr. Menno Vos). Onze ambitie is om een toonaangevende onderzoeksgroep en een gewild internationaal partner te worden die dankzij een met onze consortium-partners doorontwikkelde onderzoeksinfrastructuur bijdraagt aan versterking van het maatschappelijk verdienvermogen via human capital innovatie op drie niveaus: individuen, bedrijven en netwerken/regio’s. Responsiviteit is daarbij hét sleutelwoord. We werken samen aan professionalisering en versterking van kwaliteit, volume en impact van ons onderzoek. Daarnaast versterken we de inbedding van ons onderzoek in het onderwijs.
