You can embed sustainable employability in HR policy by systematically integrating it into existing HR processes such as strategic workforce planning, performance reviews, learning and development budgets, and team meetings. It is not a one-off project, but an ongoing approach that requires shared ownership between employer and employee. The questions below give you a clear picture of how to put this into practice.
What are the key components of a sustainable employability policy?
A sustainable employability policy is based on four interlinked pillars: self-awareness amongst staff, strategic workforce planning, a culture of learning, and regular dialogue between staff and managers. Together, these building blocks ensure that employees can adapt flexibly to changes within the organisation and in the labour market.
Self-awareness is the starting point. Employees who know who they are, what talents they possess and what drives them can make more informed choices about their careers. Scientifically underpinned methods, such as talent scans based on cognitive behavioural preferences, help to deepen and clarify this insight.
Strategic workforce planning translates the organisation’s vision for the future into specific questions about roles, competencies and staffing. By linking this to individual development reviews, you highlight the connection between organisational goals and personal growth.
A learning culture means that learning is not something employees do only occasionally, but something that is systematically facilitated and encouraged. This includes accessible learning and development budgets, scope for experimentation, and the sharing of knowledge within teams. Regular discussions about careers and development, separate from the traditional appraisal cycle, round the whole thing off.
Who is responsible for sustainable employability within an organisation?
Sustainable employability is a shared responsibility between the employee themselves, their line manager and the HR department. None of the three can achieve this alone. The employee takes ownership of their own career, the line manager facilitates and provides guidance, and HR provides the frameworks, tools and support.
In practice, we see that sustainable employability is all too often treated as an HR issue, whilst managers are the key figures in its day-to-day implementation. They are the ones who hold the discussions, identify when someone is struggling and create a safe space to talk about career issues.
Employees have an active role to play in this. Thinking proactively about your own development, keeping up with trends in your field and discussing your ambitions at the right time: these are not merely optional actions, but essential skills for anyone who wishes to remain employable in the long term. Organisations that encourage this sense of ownership amongst their staff will reap the benefits in the long term.
How do you assess whether sustainable employability really works in practice?
You measure the effectiveness of sustainable employability using both hard and soft indicators. Hard indicators include sickness absence rates, internal progression, the use of development budgets and retention rates. Soft indicators include employee satisfaction, confidence in one’s own career and the quality of development reviews.
A common mistake is to focus solely on hard figures. Absenteeism may only start to fall after a year, whilst employees report feeling more guided and confident much earlier on. Regular check-ins via short staff surveys or one-to-one meetings provide a more realistic picture of progress.
Furthermore, link measurements to specific objectives. What do you want to have achieved in two years’ time? How many staff members have an up-to-date personal development plan? What percentage of managers hold quarterly reviews on career progression and employability? By defining in advance what success looks like, you make progress visible and open to discussion.
What obstacles are holding back the implementation of employability policies?
The most common obstacles to the implementation of employability policies are a lack of a sense of urgency, insufficient ownership amongst managers, a lack of time due to the daily workload, and a lack of practical tools. Together, these factors mean that good intentions falter at the implementation stage.
There is often a lack of a sense of urgency because the consequences of poor workforce readiness are not immediately apparent. Organisations tend to react rather than anticipate. Clearly translating the organisational strategy into specific HR issues helps to create a sense of urgency before problems arise.
A lack of time is a real problem. Managers have packed diaries and are quick to view discussions about careers and development as an additional burden. The solution lies in integrating employability discussions into existing meeting structures, rather than creating new slots for them. In this way, it becomes part of the normal work routine, rather than an extra task.
Finally, organisations underestimate the size of the gap between policy on paper and behaviour in practice. Policy only works if staff and managers understand what is expected of them and receive the right support to achieve this.
When is coaching an effective tool within HR policy?
Coaching is an effective HR tool when an employee is stuck in their development, is considering a career move, needs greater self-awareness, or is struggling to adapt to changes in their role or organisation. Coaching works best when it is embedded within a broader HR framework, rather than as an isolated intervention.
Specifically, these are the situations in which coaching is most beneficial:
- An employee is unsure which direction to take and lacks a clear picture of their own talents and ambitions.
- An employee’s role changes as a result of reorganisation, technological developments or a strategic change of direction.
- An employee wants to progress to a new role, but needs support to make that move a reality.
- There is a loss of job satisfaction or a feeling of being stuck, even though the employee is motivated to make a change.
Coaching is no substitute for good leadership or a clear HR policy. It is a complementary tool that helps individual employees move more quickly and effectively in the direction that suits them best. Its strength lies in personalised guidance: a bespoke approach that is tailored to who a person is and what they need.
How can you actively involve staff in managing their own employability?
Actively involving staff in their own employability requires three things: raising awareness, encouraging a sense of ownership and providing practical guidance. Staff who understand why employability is important, who know what their talents are and who can take concrete steps are more likely to take matters into their own hands.
Awareness begins with insight. Organise interactive sessions in which staff reflect on the future of their field, the organisation’s strategy and their own role within it. Not as a one-off meeting, but as a recurring item on the team’s agenda.
You can encourage a sense of ownership by making staff responsible for their own personal development plans. Give them the freedom, the budget and the guidance to do so, but let them take the lead. Staff who make their own choices are more motivated to stick to those choices.
Practical guidance is essential. This includes access to aptitude tests, career discussions with a coach or mentor, and practical information on trends in their field. The more practical the support, the greater the chance that staff will actually put it into practice. A sustainable employability programme An approach that is tailored to the individual employee makes all the difference in practice.
How Nieuwkans helps to embed sustainable employability
We support organisations and employees in taking a systematic approach to sustainable employability, using an approach that is always bespoke and never off-the-shelf. Our programme combines self-awareness, strategic focus and personalised guidance in an approach that is directly tailored to the reality of the organisation and the individual employee.
What we offer in concrete terms:
- Two interactive sessions on long-term employability, both now and in the future, linked to the organisation’s vision for the future.
- Scientifically based talent scans using the BrainsFirst methodology, which identifies natural talents and cognitive behavioural preferences.
- Personal coaching for staff who need individual support with career-related issues or changes to their role.
- Bespoke coaching which is in line with the organisation’s strategy and the personal circumstances of each employee.
- Practical guidance enabling staff to take control of their own careers and future-proof their careers.
The result: staff who work with greater confidence and a clearer sense of direction, higher productivity, and an organisation that can adapt flexibly to change. Would you like to know how we can achieve this for your organisation? Contact us and we’re happy to help you find a solution.