Business factors increasing sustainable hr practices
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HR practices for sustainable employability
As the idea of a sustainable workforce derives from the Brundtland commission’s definition of sustainability, the promotion of sustainable employability is generally considered a corporate social responsibility (Mazur, 2014; Schuler & Jackson, 2005). Initially, HR practices for enhancing sustainable employability focused on older workers. In 1999, a first European guide was published about good practice in age management (Walker, 1999). Age management concerns those measures that combat age barriers and/or promote age diversity (Naegele & Walker, 2006) with the purpose of maintaining the capability and willingness of workers to remain in work beyond ages at which they previously retired (The Age and Employment Network [TAEN], 2007). Successful aging is likely when workers’ employability, motivation and health are maintained now and in the future (Kooij, 2015). Organizations can stimulate older employees’ sustainable employability through specific HR practices that focus on maintaining or developing older employees’ employability, motivation, and health (Armstrong-Stassen & Ursel, 2009; Herrbach, Mignonac, Vandenberghe, & Negrini, 2009; Kooij, 2010). Studying the impact of different HR practices (relating to the provision of new roles, flexible work conditions and training), Herrbach et al. (2009) found that the provision of training opportunities in particular resulted in higher affective commitment and lower early retirement among French older employees. Similarly, Armstrong-Stassen and Ursel (2009) noticed that the provision of training practices was related to older employees’ intention to stay with the company through enhanced levels of perceived organizational support. In general, HR practices that relate to employee development appear especially beneficial for workers’ motivation to postpone retirement (Kooij, 2010; van Dam, van der Vorst, & van der Heijden, 2009). Yet, there is still little knowledge of the other practices that may contribute to employees’ sustainable employability.