Sustainable employability: everything you need to know
Sustainable employability is a term that is coming up more and more often. But does it mean exactly? And why is it so important? Find out here how strengthening sustainable employability is the key to a forward-looking and successful organization.
- What is sustainable employability?
- Why is it important?
- Employer benefits
- Employee benefits
- 10 elements of sustainable employability
- How do you realize sustainable employability?
- Practical examples
- Common mistakes and pitfalls
- Thinking differently about sustainable employability
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Take the next step with the FIT strategy
- More sustainable employability
What is sustainable employability?
Sustainable employability is often seen and described in the workplace as follows: the degree to which employees want (motivation) and are able (workload) to continue working, whether or not with the same employer (employability), until retirement age and with the ability to have control over this themselves. At paraDIGMA groep , we believe that sustainable employability does not start with the individual, but with the organization. Employees only truly flourish when they feel seen, can develop and are meaningful.
Why is it important?
Being at work is important. Work provides us with income, involves us in society and gives utility and meaning to life. At the same time, Statistics Netherlands shows that absenteeism in the Netherlands has been rising for years. It is therefore more important than ever to invest in sustainable employability. Not only for employees, but also for organizations. Sustainable employees experience more job satisfaction, feel more vital and pay more attention to their personal development. This results in higher productivity and lower absenteeism costs for your organization.
Employer benefits
There are several benefits for employers to invest in sustainable employability, including:
- Less turnover
- Increased employee job happiness
- Increased productivity
- Better image
- Less absenteeism
- Increased profitability
Employee benefits
Sustainable employability is often looked at from the employer's perspective. But just as important are the benefits to employees:
- More job happiness
- Less stress
- Increased productivity
- Higher vitality
- Room for development
- More social security
10 elements of sustainable employability
Sustainable employability does not happen by itself. It requires conscious choices, targeted policies and continuous work on improvement. At paraDIGMA groep , we believe that these ten elements are indispensable for sustainable employability:
How do you realize sustainable employability?
Sustainable employability starts not with numbers, but with people. It requires a culture of trust, inspiring leadership and employees taking ownership. But how do you make that concrete? Many employers see the importance, but do not know where to start. That is precisely why we developed the FIT strategy: a clear and practical approach that provides insight, offers direction and anchors sustainable employability in both policy and daily behavior. Insight and awareness are the first steps towards a future-proof organization.
Practical examples
When strengthening sustainable employability, it is important that actions are translated into the daily practice of employees and managers. This often works better with an external partner who not only advises, but actively thinks along and supports. This is why many organizations choose to work with an occupational health and safety service provider. Especially within high-risk sectors such as construction, healthcare, education and retail. Below we share two examples of our collaborations, in which sustainable employability is given concrete and result-oriented form.
Cleaning industry: from reactive to preventive
A cleaning company with a lot of physical strain among employees was struggling with increasing absenteeism. Through a sector-oriented collaboration, we offered a complete package: from absence counseling to preventive deployment of a company psychologist, RI&E advice and an external confidential advisor. Both absentee and non-absentee employees and managers received appropriate support. This resulted in an integrated policy with structural attention to prevention. The result: more control over employability and less absenteeism.
Healthcare sector: employability in 4 phases
In the healthcare sector, where workloads are high and burnout is a real risk, a medium-sized regional hospital was under pressure. Together we developed an approach to intervene in 4 phases:
- Prevention:
- Regular workshops on stress management and work-life balance
- Ergonomic workplace analyses to reduce physical strain
- Health screenings to detect work-related diseases quickly
- Early intervention:
- Quick access to psychological support at first signs of overload
- Access to a confidant to quickly de-escalate situations
- Coaching programs for executives to recognize early signals
- Reintegration:
- Multidisciplinary approach to long-term absenteeism, including physical therapy and occupational health advice
- Gradual work resumption with adapted tasks
- Career counseling and coaching to encourage employee development
- Aftercare program to prevent relapse
- (Long-term) absenteeism
- File control so that applications to the UWV or other agencies are submitted in a timely manner.
- When reintegration within one's own organization is not possible, support during the search for a new employer
- Wage-value advice in the event of long-term changed workload capacity
These practical examples show that sustainable employability is not an abstract concept, but delivers tangible results: less absenteeism, more job satisfaction and stronger teams. With the right approach, sustainable employability becomes a solid foundation for lasting success in any organization, in any sector.
Common mistakes and pitfalls
When it comes to sustainable employability, many organizations mainly want to do. Initiatives are started enthusiastically, but often lack coherence and strategic foundation. This is a shame, because without a clear goal and support base, there will be no impact. Make sure you avoid these common mistakes:
- Too many separate initiatives without cohesion
- Focusing only on physical health
- Not enough support from executives
- Not setting measurable goals
- No connection between HR and strategy
Thinking differently about sustainable employability
Sustainable employability goes beyond offering a fruit bowl or a fitness subscription. It requires a fundamental change in thinking, in which people are central. Not only when things go wrong, but just before. With more than 20 years of experience, we know that sustainable employability is not a project, but a fundamental shift in thinking. From short-term solutions to long-term vision. From treating symptoms to strengthening people and organizations from the inside out.
Want more inspiration for this shift in thinking? Get inspired by our Different Thinking Podcast.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Time Savings Fund is an arrangement from several collective bargaining agreements whereby leave hours and certain allowances are converted into cash and saved in a personal fund. Employees thus build up flexible credit that they can later use for extra time off or have paid out. For employers, the Time Savings Fund provides clear and unambiguous administration; for employees, it offers more control over their work-life balance.
A sustainable employability policy consists of measures that ensure that employees become and remain sustainably employable. Implementing a sustainable employability policy is not a legal requirement, but rather a choice that organizations can make. The term "policy" may not be entirely appropria. It involves creating a positive organizational culture and fostering personal leadership. These are matters where there is no clear right or wrong, and where each organization can find its own path.
The works council (OR) has an important role in promoting sustainable employability within a company. The Works Council can promote sustainable employability in the following ways:
- Taking initiative: making proposals to increase sustainable employability.
- Use right of consent: on important issues related to sustainable employability.
- Advising the director: on topics related to sustainable employability.
- Collaborate: with the director, HR, the occupational health and safety service and other stakeholders.
Being employable means that a person is able and willing to perform his or her job. This means that a person is both physically and mentally healthy and has the right skills and knowledge.
Until September 2024, there was the Sustainable employability subsidy from Execution Of Policy SZW for companies and foundations. This means that companies and foundations can apply for subsidies for projects that increase the sustainable employability of their employees. The subsidy can also be used to allow older employees with heavy work to stop working earlier. It is currently no longer possible to apply for the grant, but companies that get started with the grant have until the end of 2025 to implement their project.
Implementing a sustainable employability policy is not a legal requirement, but rather a choice that organizations can make. Moreover, it is worth considering whether the term "policy" is appropriate. Sustainable employability goes beyond a formal policy. A positive organizational culture and the encouragement of personal leadership is something you want to promote as a company and where there is no clear right or wrong.
Sustainable employability can be measured in many different ways, but at the same time is difficult to express in numbers. Measurement indicators for sustainable employability include absenteeism rates (both short-term and long-term), employee turnover time within the organization, and the extent to which employees participate in training and development programs. While these measurements provide important insights, sustainable employability goes beyond measurable statistics. Sustainable employability is something you feel and is different for everyone.
The sustainable employability budget is a valuable tool for investing in the well-being and development of employees. It is a budget that is made available to give more attention to making and keeping employees sustainably employable in various ways. Through training for managers, improving workplaces and promoting awareness, organizations can create an environment in which employees can work optimally and remain sustainably employable.
The sustainable employability budget differs from the absenteeism budget in that it focuses on preventive measures and investments in employee well-being and development.
Sustainable employability and vitality are both terms used in the context of employee well-being, but they have different meanings.
Vitality is a component of sustainable employability. Vitality is the degree to which employees feel good at work, both physically and mentally. When they feel good, the chances are higher that they will reach retirement age healthily and sustainably.
Sustainable employability is the extent to which employees are willing and able to continue working until retirement age. The goal of sustainable employability is to keep employees employable on the labor market. Education, vitality and job satisfaction play a role in this.
In short, sustainable employability and vitality have different meanings, but they are connected. Vitality, which focuses on employee well-being and energy, is part of sustainable employability.
Take the next step with the FIT strategy
Do you really want to get sustainable employability off the ground in your organization? Then it is time to look beyond individual initiatives. The FIT strategy of paraDIGMA groep helps you tackle sustainable employability in a structural and goal-oriented way. Practical, measurable and tailored to your organization. Meet the FIT strategy and discover how to make the step from good intentions to lasting results.
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