High-involvement human resource practices, employee learning and employability

Purpose: Although environmental factors at the organizational level are of importance for individual employability, very few studies have investigated how the practices an organization implements can facilitate employability. The purpose of this paper is to analyze how high-involvement human resources (HIHR) practices (i.e. recognition, competence development, empowerment, information sharing and fair rewards) influence employee learning, which contributes to employability. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected from 288 pairs of employees and their direct supervisors in Chinese companies. In this study, we measure perceived employability from both employees and their direct supervisors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis is conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings: The results indicate that employees’ perceptions of the HIHR practices of recognition, competence development, empowerment and information sharing are positively related to employee learning, and then facilitate self- and supervisor-ratings of employees’ employability. Practices of fair rewards have a negative effect on employee learning and employability. Originality/value: This study contributes to employability and human resource management literature in several ways. First, the study raises the association between different HIHR practices and perceived employability through employee learning. Second, the study considers both self-rating and supervisor-rating of employability to improve the effectiveness of the results.