Not a Workaholic, Just Passionate: How Age and Gender Influence the Relationship between Passion for Work and Sustainable Employability

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between sustainable employability and the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand, 2010). In this study sustainable employability is measured using three key indicators: well-being, work-life balance, and job satisfaction. The aim of this study was to find a relationship between the dualistic model of passion and sustainable employability. I hypothesized that Harmonious Passion (HP) is positively related to sustainable employability. On the other hand, I hypothesized that Obsessive Passion (OP) is negatively related to sustainable employability. Additionally, I tested the effects of age and gender on the relationships of HP and OP with sustainable employability through hierarchical regression analyses. In total, 65 participants were included. I found support for my main hypotheses. As expected, HP had a positive relationship with sustainable employability, whereas OP negatively related to sustainable employability. These findings supplement the literature by showing that passion for work can predict sustainable employability. No effects were found for the effects of gender and age on sustainable employability. Nevertheless, the positive effect of HP on well-being was stronger in men than in women, and the negative effect of OP on work-life balance was stronger for younger employees than for older employees. However, the current study used a small sample leading to a low power of the study. Therefore, future research should use a larger sample to ensure statistical power and generalizability of the results.