Sustainable employability – definition, conceptualization, and implications: A perspective based on the capability approach

Abstract

Work and health play an entirely different role in the life course than before, necessitating new models. A definition and model of sustainable employability is presented based on Amartya Sen's capability approach, challenging researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to look for what is important and valuable in a given (work) context and whether people are able and enabled to realize this. Affiliation 71Discussion paper Scand J Work Environ Health 2016;42(1):71-79. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3531 Sustainable employability -definition, conceptualization, and implications: A perspective based on the capability approach By Jac JL van der Klink, PhD,1, 2 Ute Bültmann, PhD, 2 Alex Burdorf, PhD,3 Wilmar B Schaufeli, PhD,4,5 Fred RH Zijlstra, PhD,6 Femke I Abma, PhD, 2 Sandra Brouwer, PhD, 2 Gert Jan van der Wilt, PhD 7 Van der Klink JJL, Bültmann U, Burdorf A, Schaufeli WB, Zijlstra FRH, Abma FI, Brouwer S, Van der Wilt GJ. Sustainable employability -definition, conceptualization, and implications: A perspective based on the capability approach. Scand J Work Environ Health 2016;42(1):71-79. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3531Objectives The aim of this paper is to propose a new model of sustainable employability based on the capability approach, encompassing the complexity of contemporary work, and placing particular emphasis on work-related values.Methods Having evaluated existing conceptual models of work, health, and employability, we concluded that prevailing models lack an emphasis on important work-related values. Amartya Sen's capability approach (CA) provides a framework that incorporates a focus on values and reflects the complexity of sustainable employability.Results We developed a model of sustainable employability based on the CA. This model can be used as starting point for developing an assessment tool to investigate sustainable employability.Conclusions A fundamental premise of the CA is that work should create value for the organization as well as the worker. This approach challenges researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners to investigate what people find important and valuable -what they would like to achieve in a given (work) context -and moreover to ascertain whether people are able and enabled to do so. According to this approach, it is not only the individual who is responsible for achieving this; the work context is also important. Rather than merely describing relationships between variables, as existing descriptive models often do, the CA depicts a valuable goal: a set of capabilities that constitute valuable work. Moreover, the CA fits well with recent conceptions of health and modern insights into work, in which the individual works towards his or her own goals that s/he has to achieve within the broader goals of the organization. Correspondence to JJL van der Klink, Tilburg University, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Tranzo, Scientific Center for Care and Welfare, PO Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg. The Netherlands. [E-mail: j.j.l.vdrklink@uvt.nl] In his recent book, The Strength...

The capability set for work: development and validation of a new questionnaire

“…They also enjoy the necessary conditions that allow them to make a valuable contribution through their work, now and in the future, while safeguarding their health and welfare. This requires on the one hand a work context that facilitates them, and on the other hand the attitude and motivation to exploit these opportunities" (p4, 8). The definition, conceptual model, and construct of sustainable employability as capability are described in full detail elsewhere in this issue in van der Klink et al's Discussion Paper (8).…”

“…This requires on the one hand a work context that facilitates them, and on the other hand the attitude and motivation to exploit these opportunities" (p4, 8). The definition, conceptual model, and construct of sustainable employability as capability are described in full detail elsewhere in this issue in van der Klink et al's Discussion Paper (8). This new definition of sustainable employability challenges researchers, policy makers, and practitioners to ascertain what is important and valuable in a given (work) context, and investigate whether people are able and enabled to achieve this.…”

The Role of Human Values and Relations in the Employment of People with Work-Relevant Disabilities

“…Earning an income, for instance, is one of the values identified by people without a disability to work Van der Klink et al, 2011). People with a workrelevant disability valued an income more because of the independency it gave, than because of getting an income as value in itself.…”

“…(Sylva, 1999). Our choice for Sen's capability approach was motivated by the increasing importance and influence of this value driven approach in many fields and because of the recent operationalization for work van der Klink et al, 2016). The recently formulated values of Gheaus and Herzog were added because of their complementarity.…”

“…However, other values than income, such as building and maintaining meaningful relations and contributing to something valuable, play an increasingly important role for present day workers (Gheaus & Herzog, 2016;Van der Klink et al, 2016), and this may count even more for people with a work-relevant disability. Indeed, the disability itself often leads towards a re-orientation on values, in which other values than income and career become important.…”