Sustainable employability, technology acceptance and task performance in workers collaborating with cobots: a pilot study

Abstract

Sustainable Employability (SE) and task performance of workers-collaborating-with-cobots is challenged. Whether SE policies can impact workers’ task performance in digitalized workplaces is still unknown. Drawing on two SE models, this study aims to ascertain whether the relationship between SE policies and task performance is mediated by health and productive capabilities, and whether this effect is moderated by the levels of User Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) predictors. 88 employees collaborating with cobots, or expected to do so in the near future, answered a cross-sectional survey. SE policies were positively related to task performance via health and productive capabilities. This indirect effect was moderated by the levels of UTAUT predictors, being significant only at low or medium levels of the moderators. SE policies contribute to employee capabilities, and in turn to workers’ task performance. Fostering health and productive capabilities is fundamental when employee levels of cobots’ acceptance are not high yet.