Modelling the interaction between serious leisure, self-perceived employability, stress, and workplace well-being: empirical insights from graduates in India

Purpose: Drawing on a framework of Job Demands-Resources (JD-R), the purpose of this paper is to conceptually develop and empirically validate a moderated mediation model of serious leisure and workplace well-being. Design/methodology/approach: The data were collected between December 2020 and March 2021 using an online questionnaire. A total of 225 completed questionnaires were received from employees in India who graduated between 2018 and 2020. Findings: The authors’ findings indicate that serious leisure is positively associated with workplace well-being and that the relationship is mediated by self-perceived employability. Stress moderates the relationship between serious leisure and self-perceived employability in such a way that the association is stronger when levels of stress are higher. Stress also moderates the mediating effect of self-perceived employability on the relationship between serious leisure and workplace well-being such that the indirect effect of serious leisure on workplace well-being is stronger when levels of stress are higher. Originality/value: Theoretical implications come from drawing on leisure studies literature to differentiate casual leisure and serious leisure. The concept of serious leisure is subsequently integrated into the human resource management literature to explore the relationship between serious leisure, self-perceived employability, stress, and workplace well-being. Practical and policy implications suggest how universities and organisations can support their students and early careers talent by encouraging them to participate in serious leisure activities.</p

Preparing university graduates for sustainable careers: qualitative insights from the UK

This chapter aims to understand how graduates believe the future of work will evolve concerning demands and resources from early careers talent and organizations, and subsequently, what steps can be taken to enhance the career readiness of individuals undertaking the university-to-work transition. Twenty-eight university graduates participated in semi-structured interviews whereby 15 graduated in 2008 during the global financial crisis, and thirteen in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings identified four future of work themes: ‘skill development’, ‘motivation’, ‘career ownership’, and ‘well-being’. Additionally, four themes were identified for how university graduates can be best prepared for sustainable careers: ‘Career awareness’, ‘tailored career support’, ‘industry partnerships’ and ‘additional career support’. Theoretical contribution comes from linking the traditional job demands-resources model to sustainable career theory and career shocks. Practical implications come from empirically informed strategies to prepare university graduates for sustainable careers.</p

Enabling educators to foster creativity and perceived employability: the role of serious leisure

Drawing on a framework of conservation of resources theory, this chapter aims to enable educators in the management and organizational studies domain to foster the relationship between serious leisure and perceived employability among marketing management students. The sample was 228 marketing management graduates from four business schools in India who completed an online questionnaire between December 2020 and February 2021. The findings indicate that serious leisure is positively associated with perceived employability and that the relationship is mediated by creativity. Gender moderates the mediating effect of creativity on the relationship between serious leisure and perceived employability such that the indirect effect of serious leisure on perceived employability is stronger for men than women. Practical implications enable educators and career counsellors to improve the perceived employability of their students, leading to benefits at the individual, university, and organizational levels.</p

Exploring the impact of serious leisure on well-being and self-perceived employability: the mediating role of career adaptability amongst Chinese undergraduates

Purpose: This study aims to explore the impact of engaging in serious leisure (SL) on the well-being (WB) and self-perceived employability (PE) of university students while also considering the role of career adaptability (CA) as a mediator. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 905 domestic undergraduate students from China completed an online survey. Findings: The findings reveal that participation in SL positively influences WB and PE. Additionally, the results indicate that CA mediates the SL-WB relationship but not the SL-PE relationship. Originality/value: The theoretical contribution of this research comes from advancing our understanding of sustainable career theory through empirical testing of SL, PE, and CA on WB outcomes within a higher education setting. The practical implications of this study involve providing universities with strategies to support domestic Chinese undergraduate students in enhancing their WB and PE through active engagement in SL pursuits and the development of CA. Moreover, our findings serve as a foundation for future research investigating whether insights gained from domestic Chinese undergraduate students can provide solutions on a global scale to address the persistent challenges of improving student WB and PE

Strategies for enhancing entrepreneurial intention and wellbeing in higher education students: a cross-cultural analysis

Entrepreneurs play a crucial role in fostering innovation and fuelling economic growth. China has recently sought to increase entrepreneurial intention in university students by providing entrepreneurship education based on the model deployed by universities in Western cultures. Additionally, a longstanding challenge for universities has been the wellbeing of their students. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this issue, leading to enhancing the wellbeing of university students being declared a global priority. Consequently, by drawing on a framework of conservation of resources theory, the purpose of this paper is to conceptually develop and empirically validate a model for enhancing entrepreneurial intention and wellbeing in university students. The data were collected in December 2022 and January 2023. A total of 952 undergraduate students completed the questionnaire, with 476 responses from China and 476 from the UK. Findings indicate (i) positive associations between self-perceived academic performance and individual entrepreneurial intention, whereby self-perceived employability mediates the relationship, (ii) positive associations between serious leisure and wellbeing, whereby self-perceived employability mediates the relationship, and (iii) the country moderates the association between (a) serious leisure and wellbeing, and (b) serious leisure and self-perceived employability, whereby the association is stronger for China than for the UK. The theoretical contribution comes from constructing and empirically validating a model, evidencing alignment and divergence by country concerning acquiring specific personal resources via self-perceived academic performance, serious leisure, and self-perceived employability. Practical and policy implications arise from suggesting how higher education institutions can support their students to enhance individual entrepreneurial intention and wellbeing

Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) project: the case of an employability enhancement initiative in India

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore an employability enhancement initiative, the Additional Skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) project in the state of Kerala, India, as a case for the inclusive development of employability in college and university students. Design/methodology/approach: ASAP is applied as a case study to examine the employability enhancement initiative in India. Findings: Participation in the ASAP project led to increased measures of employability. These increases were most pronounced in women and individuals living below the poverty line. Partnerships between educational institutions and organisations focusing on students’ technical and skill development can help overcome local and national talent shortages. Originality/value: The theoretical implications come from addressing the lack of representation of skills based employability initiatives among students from India in the vocational behaviour literature. Practical implications come from knowledge sharing of innovative strategies to enhance the employability outcomes of individuals entering the labour market. New ways to overcome the reported mismatch in business education between curriculum content and the development of employability skills in graduates are presented. Benefits for diversity and inclusion are also provided.</p