Employability, empowerment and employers, between debunking and appreciating action: nine cases from the ICT sector

Abstract

An important strand in the literature promotes the idea that investment in employability, specifically in marketable skills and talents, self-presentation efficacy, actual levels of skill, knowledge and experience, will go a long way in addressing the problems caused by creative destruction. The paper examines employability policy and employees' perceptions of their employability in nine information and communication technologies (ICT) companies, located in Germany and in the Netherlands. In all these companies, sustained employability was problematic. Together, they form a critical case for testing some of the assumptions of employability thinking. Beyond this, the paper explores the space for action. Some of the companies pioneered sophisticated, high organizational involvement forms of employability enhancement, while others highlighted the interplay of employability and employee protection as a mechanism that can help create security.

How organisations can affect employees’ intention to manage enterprise-specific knowledge through informal mentoring: a vignette study

“…Applying SDT, reorganisations with forced lay-offs constitute a potential hindrance demand that distorts basic human need fulfilment on which optimal worker functioning is supposed to rest. This reasoning is consistent with the premise of the “old” psychological contract theory (Pruijt, 2013): employers invest in job security in exchange for solidarity. If job security cannot be guaranteed, then solidary employee behaviour may not occur.…”

“…In this situation, intrinsic value support instils feelings of loyalty in organisational members through basic human need fulfilment. This logic is consistent with the notion of the "new" psychological contract (Pruijt, 2013): employers invest in employees' well-being and development in exchange for solidarity. This solidarity can manifest itself in a higher motivation to engage willingly in pro-organisational activities.…”

The influences of transformational leadership on employee employability

“…As jobs became volatile, employees' concerns accumulate in their abilities to offer marketable skills in order to secure a job and thus employability as a means to derive job security has been highlighted by numerous researchers in the field (Rothwell et al, 2008;Scholarios et al, 2008;Brown et al, 2010;Van Emmerik et al, 2012;Pruijt, 2013).…”

“…Researchers appealed for the need to consider the mutual interest in investment into employability from the employer and employee sides, bringing about the 'new psychological contract' (Pruijt, 2013) between parties with continuous investment expected from the former and commitment from the latter. A significant proportion of employers are able to recognize the need for such investments leading to achievement of competitive advantage and thus contributing to the success of organizations (De Cuyper et al, 2011;Van den Broeck et al, 2014).…”

Employability and Job Performance as Links in the Relationship Between Mentoring Receipt and Career Success

“…However, this research offers other secondary contributions pertaining to the setting, and in particular to conducting the investigation in the IT sector in SMEs in a non-Anglo-Saxon cultural environment. The IT industry epitomizes organizational and employment forms of the modern era, with constant changes in tools and skill requirements, flat structures, and substantial worker mobility across and within organizational borders (Barley & Kunda, 2004;Pruijt, 2013;Scholarios et al, 2008). SMEs compose the largest portion of organizational entities and account for most employment.…”