3 reasons why sustainable employability is even more important when working remotely

After a year of forced remote working, employees of all levels and ages have had to discover how this remains workable for them. As a result, they constantly have to adapt to their environment in order to maintain their own job satisfaction and productivity. It is not easy for anyone and after such a long period of time fatigue sets in. As an employer you may now be somewhat more remote, albeit not empty-handed. You can combat this fatigue by focusing on the sustainable employability of employees. Therefore we will give you 3 reasons why you should.

Nowadays we live longer, and therefore we continue to work longer. We also regularly update our knowledge and skills so that we can keep up with the demands of our job. If you, as an employer, invest in sustainable employability and the growth process of your employees, they remain productive, motivated and involved in your organization. This is also referred to as sustainable employership. It is therefore not only important for your organization, but also for the health of the employees themselves.

Better health

The results of a scientific study into sustainable employment practices showed that employees in sustainable organizations are more vital than those who work in less sustainable organizations. In addition, employees under sustainable employment practices are less likely to show signs of depression, smoke and drink less and exercise more. It is therefore not surprising that employees who work in a sustainable environment generally have better health.

Paying attention to sustainable employability also contributes to the health of your organization. In the same study, we see that employees have less intention of leaving the organization for career opportunities in another organization. In general, they are also more satisfied with the work they do. As an employer, it is therefore smart to make this part of your personnel and culture policy. You can start by collecting insights into sustainable employability and the role of your employership in this.

Sustainable employability: why?

Not convinced yet? Here you can read 3 additional reasons why sustainable employability is a smart and positive strategy!

1. Saving on a lot of costs

In recent years, we have seen more and more employees with burnout complaints in the Netherlands and Europe. Moreover, if we look at our own data according to the Work Stress Data report, you can say that stress and dissatisfaction, especially now during Covid, are high. Employee engagement has fallen from 39% in March 2020, when we started working from home, to 25% from the start of curfew in December 2020. Additionally, we have now seen dissatisfaction rise from 15% in early January 2020 to 23% in January 2021.

If you were to convert these figures to an organization with 1000 employees, it is not that difficult to calculate what it costs if people drop out. If you continue to work on sustainable employability, you will save on continued payment of wages, the onboarding of new employees, premium increases, lost knowledge and skills, experience that disappears, etc. Consequently, these savings will add up considerably!

2. Motivated and productive employees

Most people start working in their 20s and work for a total of 40 to 50 years. Could you do the same thing all this time? Probably not. But as an employer you want to ensure that your employees stay in your organization for as long as possible and that staff turnover is minimal. Because costs such as lost knowledge and the onboarding of new staff can therefore add up considerably.

New career opportunities within the organization, additional training and constant challenges keep employees engaged. In this way, employees continue to work longer, more motivated and above all with pleasure within your organization. They experience variety, challenge and freedom in their work and thus remain effective.

3. A better image for the organization

As an employer you naturally want to know how employees think about you as an employer. A good indication of this is the Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS). With the 2DAYSMOOD eNPS measurement, your employees give the organization a grade. This shows the percentage of promoters, passives and detractors among your employees.

If employees are not satisfied, they will not recommend your organization to others as an employer. And this is what you want, right? The way to improve your eNPS is by investing in your employees. By improving sustainable employability, they will experience a better working environment, enjoy their work more and be healthier in general. In this way you also become an attractive employer for others!

Earn the Certificate Sustainable Employment

These are just a few examples of all the benefits you will experience as a sustainable employer. Do you want to know if you already deserve that title and how you can achieve it? Utrecht University has developed a measurement and benchmarking method for Sustainable Employment, based on scientific principles. 2DAYSMOOD, as an expert in online employee surveys, has made the method simple and practical for companies.

So do you want to take the first step towards sustainable employability? And show (future) employees that you really pay attention to their well-being and job satisfaction? Request the measurement here and earn the Certificate Sustainable Employment!

Request the measurement