Using health and safety monitoring routines to enhance sustainable employability

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Traditionally, the field of health and employment has mainly focused on preventing unhealthy work practices. Nowadays, there is increasing interest in also promoting a positive work environment. It is relevant to investigate how organizations can integrate both approaches into their work practices. We posit this could promote the sustainable employability of employees. OBJECTIVE: We explored whether a tool that monitors health and safety risks can also be used to create a positive work environment. METHODS: Almost 600 employees completed the Dutch version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ). We used regression analyses to investigate the associations between dimensions of work and employees’ outcome (stress and sustainable employability). We also validated the Dutch version of this questionnaire by adding Sustainable employability and Vigor. RESULTS: A theory-based selection of dimensions explained 32%of the variance in Sustainable employability, whereas a set of established predictors explained 16%in Stress. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a good fit of the COPSOQ to the hypothesized model. Reliabilities of the dimensions were satisfactory to good. CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that organizations can use COPSOQ both as a tool to monitor risk, as well as a means of promoting positive work practices.

A team level participatory approach aimed at improving sustainable employability of long-term care workers: a study protocol of a randomised controlled trial

“…Several psychosocial work factors will also be measured with items from the Dutch translation from the third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire [ 43 , 44 ]. It concerns the core items for influence at work (1 item), job satisfaction (1 item), possibilities for development (2 items) and the long measurement of social support from colleagues (3 items).…”

“…Mean scores will be calculated in case of multiple items per subscale, whereby a higher score means more of the psychosocial work factor at hand. Previous research shows the items and scales of this questionnaire are reliable [ 44 , 45 ].…”

“…Self-reported health will be measured with the Dutch translation of 2 items from the third version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire [ 43 , 44 ]. One item askes participants to rate their health either as excellent (100), very good (75), good (50), fair (25) or poor (0).…”

Systematic Review of Intervention Studies to Foster Sustainable Employability Core Components: Implications for Workplace Promotion

“…This implication is supported by the recent promising scientific literature that overall underlines the importance of enabling valuable work practices for SE. These practices mainly take shapes in a dialogue-based toolkit [62,63]; health and safety monitoring routines [64]; tailormade development programs [65]; the promotion of opportunities and employee development fitted with personal wishes and needs [66]; negotiation and discussion about Ideals and systematic training as well as structured conversation processes and coaches [67]; the improvement of the employee psychological capital [68]; job crafting and continuous sustainable changes [69]; continuous routines of conditions' assessments and shared action plans [70]; career development discussions as well as regular dialogue and organizational culture [71]; and counseling, coaching, mentoring and motivational interviewing [60]. Therefore, developing capabilities in the form of competencies and health resources should be considered a key action in SE promotion and requires further practical advancement.…”

The MAastricht Instrument for Sustainable Employability – Italian version (MAISE-IT): a validation study

“…To promote SE, valid and reliable instruments for assessing employees’ needs and factors that affect SE are needed. Some authors, such as Fleuren et al [ 10 ] refer to combining existing instruments [ 10 , 13 – 15 ]. Other authors, in the framework of employability, have developed valid instruments, but mainly based on organization- [ 3 ], competency- [ 4 ] or individual- centered [ 16 ] measures of employability.…”