Beatrice Bray relates her battle to regain the life, loves and career she lost when she became ill. She has, she says, finally managed to get the medical care she has always known…
Abstract
Beatrice Bray relates her battle to regain the life, loves and career she lost when she became ill. She has, she says, finally managed to get the medical care she has always known she needed. Now she wants help to get back into work, and to overcome the stigma that traps her, a qualified journalist, in low skilled occupations.
Beatrice Bray reviews Leading by Example, the report from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health on its programme of support for trusts seeking to introduce mental health‐friendly…
Abstract
Beatrice Bray reviews Leading by Example, the report from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health on its programme of support for trusts seeking to introduce mental health‐friendly employment polices and procedures.
The government's proposals for the reform of Incapacity Benefit offer more stick than carrot to people with long‐term and severe mental health problems, writes Beatrice Bray. Here…
Abstract
The government's proposals for the reform of Incapacity Benefit offer more stick than carrot to people with long‐term and severe mental health problems, writes Beatrice Bray. Here she explains the proposals and why, contrary to the government's protestations, they fall short of a true vote of confidence in the capacity and capabilities of people with severe and disabling mental health problems.
Beatrice Bray describes the work of the Mental Health and Employment Research Network ‐ a UK collaboration of organisations determined to address the lack of a research evidence…
Abstract
Beatrice Bray describes the work of the Mental Health and Employment Research Network ‐ a UK collaboration of organisations determined to address the lack of a research evidence base on which to build effective employment support initiatives for people with mental health problems.
This index covers all issues between February 2005 (Volume 9, Issue 1) and November 2008 (Volume 12, Issue 4). Numbers in bold refer to yolume, numbers in brackets refer to issue…
Abstract
This index covers all issues between February 2005 (Volume 9, Issue 1) and November 2008 (Volume 12, Issue 4). Numbers in bold refer to yolume, numbers in brackets refer to issue, with subsequent numbers to pages.
Marc van Veldhoven and Luc Dorenbosch
The purpose of this study is to shed more light on the role of employee proactivity (self‐starting, action‐orientated behaviours aimed at greater organisational effectiveness) in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to shed more light on the role of employee proactivity (self‐starting, action‐orientated behaviours aimed at greater organisational effectiveness) in relation to aging and career development. It aims to do this in two ways. First, by investigating how age and HR practices for development initiated by the organisation influence proactivity. Here, proactivity it seeks to study as a career‐relevant outcome. Second, by examining how age, proactivity and HR practices for development influence employee experiences of career opportunities. Here, it aims to use proactivity as career‐relevant predictor.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 619 employees from 47 departments completed a questionnaire, including two scales on proactivity (on‐the‐job and developmental proactivity) as well as a scale on career opportunities. HR and line managers in these departments were interviewed about HR practices directed at career development of the employees. The data combine information from two levels (employee, department) as well as three different sources (employee, line manager, HR manager), and are analysed using multi‐level analysis.
Findings
First, the paper presents the results on proactivity as an outcome: age is positively related to proactivity on‐the‐job but has no association with proactivity towards development. HR practices targeted at career development are positively associated with both types of proactivity. Second, the results on proactivity as a predictor show that career opportunities have a negative association with age, a positive association with proactivity, and a positive association with career development‐orientated HR practices. An additional negative effect on career opportunities is found for the cross‐level interaction between HR practices and age.
Originality/value
This study is original as it combines individual, psychological, and HR perspectives in researching age‐related career issues. It contributes to the literature by showing that age has no negative, but rather a positive impact on proactivity. Proactivity furthermore is sensitive to HR practices for development, implying that organisations can influence the proactivity of their employees. For older employees the study implies that, although organisations tend to offer them fewer HR practices for development, they can offset this disadvantage to some extent by increased proactivity, and thus retain career opportunities.