Volume 82, Issue 2 p. 233-251

Understanding the factors that promote employability orientation: The impact of employability culture, career satisfaction, and role breadth self-efficacy

Aukje Nauta

Corresponding Author

Aukje Nauta

University of Amsterdam and Randstad HR Solutions, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Correspondence should be addressed to Dr Aukje Nauta, Department of Psychology, Work and Organizational Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1018 WB, The Netherlands (e-mail: [email protected]).Search for more papers by this author
Annelies van Vianen

Annelies van Vianen

University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Search for more papers by this author
Beatrice van der Heijden

Beatrice van der Heijden

Maastricht School of Management, Open University of The Netherlands, and University of Twente, The Netherlands

Search for more papers by this author
Karen van Dam

Karen van Dam

Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

Search for more papers by this author
Marja Willemsen

Marja Willemsen

TNO Quality of Life – Work and Employment, Hoofddorp, The Netherlands

Search for more papers by this author
First published: 24 December 2010
Citations: 181

Abstract

This study among 702 Dutch employees working in the health care and welfare sector examined individual and organizational factors that are related to workers' employability orientation and turnover intention. Additionally, push and pull motives were examined of employees who aimed to leave their job. Results indicated that a strong employability culture adds extra variance over and above individual factors such as career satisfaction and role breadth self-efficacy in the explanation of employability orientation, turnover intention, and push motives of employees who aim to leave their job. That is, employability culture is positively related to employability orientation, but negatively related to turnover intention and to push motives of those who aim to leave. Pull motives of employees who want to leave are explained by individual factors only, such as career dissatisfaction and role breadth self-efficacy, but not by employability culture. These findings suggest that organizations that need to adapt to changing environments should implement a strong employability culture, because such a culture stimulates employability orientations among their employees while simultaneously decreasing turnover intentions.