Employability in 4D. Determinants, Dimensions, Duality, and Dismissal

Employability in 4D: Determinants, Dimensions, Duality, and Dismissal Perceived employability concerns the employees’ perceived future employment possibilities (Vanhercke et al., 2014). It has been advanced as critical in today’s dynamic labour market: This is based on the implicit assumption that perceived employability is at the core of a positive process that leads to optimal employee functioning. The main aim of this dissertation is to test this assumed positive process associated with perceived employability. We achieve this aim through two objectives, namely through a focus upon (1) movement capital as determinant of perceived employability (Studies 1 & 2), and (2) employee functioning as consequence of perceived employability (Studies 3 & 4). Movement capital concerns the set of personal factors that enhance individuals’ likelihood of obtaining and retaining employment (Forrier et al., 2009). Employee functioning is broadly defined as the extent to which individuals feel (i.e., burnout and engagement) and perform (i.e., in-role and extra-role performance) well. Concerning (1) antecedents: Our first study concerned a test of causal paths between movement capital and perceived employability among employees from private and public sector organizations. Surprisingly, the strength of associations was overall quite weak. Our second study started from this observation: the overall weak pattern of results inspired us to have a closer look at the notion of movement capital. Our idea was that the indicators of movement capital were perhaps ill-defined in the sense that they were less about potential for mobility than previously thought. In response, we developed a conceptual framework for what we coined ‘employability capital’. This conceptual framework consisted of two dimensions: capital (human capital and social capital) and employability (job-related, career-related and development-related employability competencies). We tested this framework through a sorting study of measurements involving 29 subject matter experts. Even though our conceptual model found support, results also indicated that it was perhaps somewhat too complex. The simplified model included four aspects: job-related expertise, job-related attitudes, career-related employability capital, and development employability capital. Concerning (2) consequences: Previous studies advanced a positive association between perceived employability and employee functioning outcomes but found weak to moderate support. In the third study, we challenged the assumed positive association between perceived employability and employee functioning in terms of work engagement and burnout by testing linear and curvilinear associations. The relationship between perceived employability and work engagement was linear, while the relationship between perceived employability and burnout was curvilinear. In the fourth study, we tested the assumed positive relationship between perceived employability and employee functioning (work engagement, in-role and extra-role performance) in a sample of 213 employees who were dismissed or resigned themselves, yet still at work (i.e., period of notice). We found a positive relationship between perceived employability and work engagement and performance for voluntarily dismissed employees and a negative relationship between perceived employability and work engagement and performance in case of forced dismissal. Overall, we found positive effects of perceived employability on employee functioning in terms of well-being and performance which encourages further investments in individuals’ perceived employability and we were able to identify some ‘conditions’ or ‘precursors’ of a positive association with positive outcomes: Moderate levels of perceived employability and a voluntary career step. The conceptual framework allows future research to test and identify antecedents of perceived employability and offers a framework through which this association can be studied. References: Forrier, A., Sels, L., & Stynen, D. (2009). Career mobility at the intersection between agent and structure: A conceptual model. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 82, 739–759. Vanhercke, D., De Cuyper, N., Peeters, E., & De Witte, H. (2014). Defining perceived employability: a psychological approach. Personnel Review, 43(4), 592-605.SUMMARY 5 Samenvatting 7 Acknowledgments 9 Table of Contents 13 General Introduction 17 Setting the Scene 19 Perceived Employability 20 Objectives and Aims Framed within the Career Mobility Model 23 The Career Mobility Model 23 Movement Capital as Determinant of Perceived Employability 28 Employee Functioning as Consequence of Perceived Employability 32 Outline of the Dissertation 36 Data Collection 38 Sample 1 38 Sample 2 38 Sample 3 38 References 40 PART 1: Movement Capital as Determinant of Perceived Employability 45 Study 1: The Only Constant is Change? Movement Capital and Perceived Employability, 47 Abstract 47 Introduction 48 Method 52 Results 56 Discussion 62 References 67 Study 2: Employability Capital: A Conceptual Framework Tested through Expert Analysis 71 Abstract 71 Introduction 73 Conceptual Objective: Developing a Framework for Employability Capital 75 Measurement Objective: Mapping Measurements onto the Conceptual Framework 79 Method 79 Results 83 Discussion 88 Acknowledgements 90 Funding statement 90 References 91 PART 2: Employee Functioning as Consequence of Perceived Employability 101 Study 3: Too Employable to Feel Well?: Linear and Curvilinear Relationships between Perceived Employability and Work Engagement and Burnout, 103 Abstract 103 Introduction 105 Method 109 Results 111 Discussion 115 References 118 Study 4: The Motivational Process of Perceived Employability as an Antecedent of Work Engagement and Performance Among Voluntary and Involuntary Dismissed Employees 123 Summary 123 Samenvatting 124 Inleiding 125 Het motivationele proces 126 De huidige studie 127 Methode 131 Resultaten 136 Discussie 139 Conclusie 143 Praktijkbox 144 Literatuur 145 General Discussion 151 Overall Findings of this Dissertation 153 Movement Capital as Determinant of Perceived Employability 153 Employee Functioning as Consequence of Perceived Employability 159 Take Home Message 166 Conclusion 168 References 169nrpages: 172status: publishe