Accommodations For Employees Research Articles

Work accommodations for employees with common mental disorders and associated manager-related determinants: a cross-sectional study among Swedish managers

Purpose To investigate frequencies of managers’ reported use of work accommodations (WAs) for employees with common mental disorders (CMD), and to examine associations between manager-related characteristics and the use of diverse WAs. Material and methods 3358 managers took part in a web-survey, of these, 1779 were included in this study. The survey listed 15 WAs grouped into seven types using principal component analysis. The relationships between managers’ person-related, knowledge-related, and work-related characteristics with the seven WAs were tested with multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Reported use of WAs was high. Compared to work-related characteristics, person-related and knowledge-related characteristics were stronger associated with WAs. The two characteristics associated with most WAs types were (1) confidence in supporting employees with CMD (5 WA types) and (2) managerial training on CMD (4 WA types). Conclusion Managers report an extensive use of different types of WAs. WAs were related to a variety of determinants, depending on the WA type, but using WAs depends on the manager as an individual rather than on their work environment. To increase equal access to WAs, organizations should encourage managers to use WAs in order to support and improve the work capacity for employees with CMD.

Exploring employees’ coping with disability management practices at a South African university

Background: South African legislation promotes the accommodation of employees with disabilities through enabling modifications and adjustments in the workplace. The literature about the experiences of employees with disabilities in higher education environments regarding accommodation is scant. Filling the gap, this research aimed to explore how employees with disabilities at a South African university cope with disability management practices by means of accommodations.Objectives: The objectives entailed exploring the encounters of employees with disabilities regarding accommodation in the workplace, their beliefs about these encounters and the meaning that the employees with disabilities attached to them.Method: The study design is grounded in the subjectivist epistemology of social constructionism and took on a qualitative approach. The bounded single-case study concerned formative evaluations. The homogeneous purposive sampling strategy amounted to 13 employees with disabilities. Twelve semi-structured interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.Results: The participants relied strongly on self-agency to address splintered or unresponsive disability management practices. To avoid marginalisation, they worked extra hard for securing a rightful place at work. Misconceptions of able-bodied peers or managers triggered psychological stress.Conclusion: Coping with the university’s disability management practices is mainly a stressful challenge, consequently endangering people’s well-being.Contribution: Exploring the coping of university employees with disabilities through accommodations filled a gap in the literature.

Pain management in eldercare employees \u2013 the role of managers in addressing musculoskeletal pain and pain-related sickness absence

PurposeManagers’ knowledge and behaviors in addressing musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence is not well understood. We investigated the association between managers’ knowledge and behaviours in relation to employees’ pain and their future risk of musculoskeletal pain and associated sickness absence.MethodsThe prospective study included 535 eldercare employees, and 42 managers from 20 nursing homes. Managers’ self-reported knowledge and behaviors in relation to employees’ pain were grouped using Principal Components Analysis. Eldercare employees reported pain-related sickness absence, and number of days with musculoskeletal pain repeatedly over 1 year. We investigated associations using mixed-effects regression models.ResultsWe identified four types of managers’ knowledge and behaviors: 1) Pain-prevention (actions for prevention of employee pain), 2) Pain-management (actions to assist employees manage pain), 3) Pain-entitlements (communicating entitlements to employees with pain), and 4) Pain-accommodations (ability to facilitate workplace accommodations for employees with pain). The employees of managers with higher scores on knowledge of pain-entitlements reported fewer days of pain-related sickness absence (β = -0.62; 95%CI [-1.14; -0.10]). The employees of managers with higher scores on pain-management were more likely to report low back pain (β = 0.57; 95%CI [0.02; 1.11]). We found several key associations between the knowledge and behaviors measures and pain-related sickness absence (interactions).ConclusionManagers’ knowledge and behaviors in relation to employees’ pain were associated with employees’ future musculoskeletal pain and sickness absence. The relationships are complex, suggesting that a multifaceted approach is needed to ensure that managers are adequately informed on how to manage and accommodate employees with musculoskeletal pain to reduce sickness absence.

Swedish managers’ experience-based understanding of the Capacity to work in employees with Common Mental Disorders: a Focus Group Study

PurposeUnderstanding of the capacity to work among employees with common mental disorders (CMDs) is important, but contemporary knowledge on this issue lacks the managers’ perspective. The aim of this study was to explore and describe managers’ experience-based understanding of capacity to work in employees with CMD.MethodsA qualitative focus group study was designed. Managers with experience in supporting employees with CMD were recruited via organizations and networks. Eight focus group interviews with 31 participants took place.ResultsThe analysis resulted in five categories. (1) Capacity to mentally focus on work tasks decreases or disappears, with negative consequences for work output. (2) Capacity to commit to continuous and coherent task changes, making tasks that span longer periods of time difficult. (3) Capacity to independently adapt to the needs of the situation decreases, and employees need more guidance and instructions than usual. (4) Capacity to keep up professional appearances is reduced, and the employees struggle with the professional role. (5) Ability to interact socially and professionally decreases, which potentially causes conflicts at the workplace.ConclusionsThis study adds managers’ perspective to the increasing knowledge on how capacity to work is influenced by CMDs. Managers understand CMDs in employees as changed, reducing the capacities needed for occupational functioning. A deeper understanding of reduced capacity to work is needed to adapt workplaces, and our findings can facilitate work accommodations for employees with CMDs.

Moralizing the law: Lactating workers and the transformation of supervising managers

AbstractThe Lactation at Work Law amended the Fair Labor Standards Act to mandate employer accommodation of employees' breast milk expression. Interviews with employees, human resource specialists, and supervising managers in nine industries found that some organizations' supervising managers, who initially perceived accommodations only as a legal mandate furthering managerial goals, over time changed to understanding lactation accommodations through a children's-health lens that created morality-driven motivations for legal compliance–a “moralization of the law.” Educational discussions with lactating employees not only provided these supervising managers with insights into lactation at work, but also sensitized them to ethical issues surrounding lactation accommodations.

Which managers make which work accommodations for employees with common mental disorders?

Abstract Background Work accommodations (WAs) can promote employees' decreased work capacity and work participation. However, little is known about how managers make WAs for employees with common mental disorders (CMD). The aim was to investigate managerial determinants for making WAs for employees with CMD. Methods An online survey was sent to 4,737 Swedish managers, aged 20-65 years (response rate 71%). Only managers who stated having had employees with CMD in the last two years responded to questions on WAs, and were included in this study (n = 1779). The 15 WAs in the survey were condensed to seven WA types using principal component analysis. We calculated odd ratios (95% confidence intervals) for the association of person- (n = 5), knowledge- (n = 2) and work-related (n = 10) determinants in relation to WA types with multivariate logistic regression, adjusting for managers' personal experience of CMD, medical training, treating people with CMD, type of industry and organizational size. Results Greater confidence in how to support employees with CMD was associated with five different WA types, the strongest OR was found for changes in working conditions (OR 1.87 95% CI 1.48 - 2.38). Female manager was associated with three WA types, the strongest OR was found for changes in working conditions (OR 2.09 95% CI 1.60 - 2.73). Managerial training including knowledge about how to support employees with CMD was associated with four WA types, and the strongest OR was found for accommodating work tasks (OR 1.76 95% CI 1.35 -2.28). Only work sector was associated with more than two WA types, where managers in the private sector were less likely to make three WA types. Conclusions Greater confident in how to support these employees, being female, managerial CMD-training and working in the public sector were associated with making WAs more often. The findings suggest directions for training managers in making WAs in order to support and improve work capacity of employees with CMD. Key messages Managers’ confidence in and knowledge about how to support employees with CMD were essential in order to make work accommodations. Work-related factors were less associated than expected. Training managers to accommodate the work of employees with CMD might be effective.

Managers’ experience-based understanding of capacity to work in workers with common mental disorders

Abstract Background The capacity to work among workers with common mental disorders (CMD) is important to understand but scarcely explored from a manager perspective, even though their views could add essential knowledge. The aim of this study was to explore and describe managers' experience-based understanding of capacity to work in individuals with CMD. Methods This qualitative focus group study used inductive manifest content analysis as analytic technique. First-line managers with experiences of employees with CMDs were recruited via organizations and networks. Eight focus group interviews with altogether 31 participants were performed. Results The analysis resulted in five categories of managers' experience-based understanding of occupational functioning in workers with CMDs: (1) The capacity to mentally focus on work tasks decreases or disappears, with negative consequences for work output. (2) The capacity to commit to continuous and coherent tasks changes, making tasks that span over longer periods of time difficult. (3) The capacity to independently adapt to the needs of the situation decreases, causing the worker to need more guidance and instructions than usual. (4) The capacity to keep up professional appearances is reduced, meaning that the worker struggle with the professional role. Finally, (5) the ability to interact socially and professionally decreases, which potentially causes conflicts at the workplace. Conclusions This study shows managers' experience-based understanding of CMDs in workers as severe changes and reductions of employees' capacities needed for occupational functioning. These findings add to the understanding of the construction of the capacity at the workplace. A deeper understanding of reduced work capacity is also needed to adapt workplaces and our findings can facilitate work accommodations for employees with CMDs. Key messages This study adds a manager perspective to the increasing knowledge about how capacity to work is influenced by CMD. This study shows that managers experience that CMD in workers severely change and reduce employees’ capacities needed for occupational functioning.

Allies and detractors: Insights on disability inclusion in organizations

Over the past few decades, research on the inclusion of employees with a disability has allowed for theoretical as well as practical contributions. A key focus of this research has been on how best to include (e.g., through accommodations, legislation) those with a disability in the workplace (Beatty, Baldridge, Boehm, Kulkarni, & Colella, 2019). While this research has alluded to the importance of allies and detractors in influencing workplace inclusion, this topic has not received as much research attention. Specifically, allies can support others through affording tangible help, support, defense from threats, and policy advocacy (Asta & Vacha-Haase, 2013; DiStefano, Croteau, Anderson, Kampa-Kokesch, & Bullard, 2000; Sabat et al., 2013; 2014). To address this important albeit under-researched area, this presenter symposium features five research papers by well-known disability scholars. Together, these studies summarized below, extend the boundaries of disability research by highlighting who can be an ally (e.g., internal stakeholders such as managers, external stakeholders such as vocational rehabilitation employees), when, and forms of help extended by such allies. Informal accommodations for employees with disabilities: i-deal or no i-deal? Presenter: Catherine Connelly; McMaster U. Presenter: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Presenter: Ian R. Gellatly; U. of Alberta More than a pillar: When co-workers and supervisors become allies for persons with disabilities Presenter: Amit Jain; S P Jain Institute of Management and Research Presenter: Christoph Breier; U. of St. Gallen Presenter: Miriam Karin Baumgaertner; U. of St. Gallen Presenter: Stephan Alexander Boehm; U. of St. Gallen Allies as intermediaries: Strategies that promote hiring people with intellectual disabilities Presenter: Christine Nittrouer; U. of Houston, Downtown Presenter: Michelle Hebl; Rice U. Presenter: Eden King; Rice U. Enacting and slipping: Workplace behaviors of disability allies Presenter: John Lynch; U. of Illinois at Chicago Presenter: Arjun Mitra; California State U., Los Angeles Presenter: Haoying Xu; U. of Illinois at Chicago Workplace materiality as an ally or detractor Presenter: Koen Van Laer; Hasselt U. Presenter: Frederike Scholz; Hasselt U.

The interactive process of negotiating workplace accommodations for employees with mental health conditions

BACKGROUND: Implementing workplace accommodations is an effective means of retaining employees with mental health conditions. However, the process is poorly understood and poorly documented. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to explore the interactive process of negotiating workplace accommodations from the perspective of employees with mental health conditions and workplace stakeholders. METHODS: We interviewed employees across Canada who self-identified as having a mental health condition requiring accommodations, and six stakeholders at various workplaces across Canada who are involved in providing accommodations. Data were analyzed using a qualitative descriptive approach to identify key themes. RESULTS: The findings highlight that the process of negotiating accommodations is non-linear, interactive, and political. The process is shaped by organizational and political factors and collaboration between stakeholders. CONCLUSIONS: The negotiation process is a combination of social, relational and political factors. Clear and accessible accommodation policies, workplace awareness and specific workplace training on how to implement accommodations are needed to optimize the accommodation process for all involved.

Arbitration of accommodation in US workplaces: employee, stakeholder and human resources characteristics

AbstractThis research examines how arbitrators consider accommodations for employees with physical and mental illnesses. Unlike other recent research on the subject, the authors specifically and purposely draw their sample from recent US arbitration cases—2015 to 2018, n = 209. Additionally, using content analysis software, NVivo, the case characteristics were autocoded, and the case outcomes were manually coded. Using logistic regression, the following model was developed to predict the odds of case outcomes: disability, injury, discrimination, retaliation, absence and reinstatement. The Cox and Snell and Nagelkerke analysis indicates that our model accounts for approximately 15.6 to 21.5 per cent of the variance, with 33.3 per cent of the individual and split arbitration cases outcomes and 91.2 per cent for organisation arbitration cases correctly predicted. The model predicts 71.2 per cent of the cases.

Designing flexible work practices for job satisfaction: the relation between job characteristics and work disaggregation in different types of work arrangements

The literature on flexible work practices has not yet evaluated in detail how the characteristics of a job affect job satisfaction. This study makes a distinction between two types of flexible work practices according to their aims: the accommodation of employees’ personal lives (employment practice) and the operational reasons of a firm (work practice). Based on this distinction, we studied how the characteristics of a job, which reflect the use of ICT to support the spatial disaggregation of business processes, influence the relationship between the two types of flexible work practices and job satisfaction. We show, through a survey conducted on 987 workers, that the characteristics of a job that favour work disaggregation positively moderate the influence of flexible work as a work practice on job satisfaction, but they do not moderate the influence of flexible work as an employment practice. The implications for managers, workers and scholars are discussed.

Employee's accommodation request deemed unreasonable

Disability

Employers’ perspectives regarding reasonable accommodations for employees with autism spectrum disorder

AbstractEmployers who are open to the establishment of a neuro-diverse workforce, including adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), often encounter challenges resulting from both personal characteristics and environmental barriers. Employees with ASD demonstrate evident abilities and a high motivation to work, yet their employment rate remains low. This qualitative phenomenological study explored the perspectives of 11 employers of individuals with ASD from the open labour market. Three themes emerged: employers’ perception of employees with ASD; their motivation to employ an employee with ASD; and accessibility of the work environment: reasonable adjustments. The findings support the importance of factors in the work environment that serve to either inhibit or facilitate the inclusion of people with ASD in the open labour market as much as their personal characteristics. The results relate to workplace accessibility within the context of the organization’s management and justice climate.

The Reasonable Accommodation of Employees with Cancer and their Right to Privacy in the Workplace

The duty of employers to reasonably accommodate employees living with disabilities is fundamental and is invoked on a daily basis in response to various health conditions which employees experience, such as cancer. While executing this fundamental duty, employers must be mindful of other rights which employees have, such as the right to privacy. Employers run the risk of violating the employees' right to privacy in the process of accommodating them if the employer discloses confidential medical information which must be used only for the purpose of making accommodations for the employee concerned, in this context an employee with cancer. This paper focuses on the duty of employers to reasonably accommodate such employees, and the right to privacy of the employees. Further, this paper aims to investigate if a balance can be maintained between the duty of the employer to make such accommodations and the right to privacy of the employees
 

Atypical Accommodations for Employees with Psychiatric Disabilities

People with psychiatric disabilities often need atypical accommodations to participate in today's workforce. Some of these accommodations, including structural and social changes in the workplace, can address biases against people with psychiatric disabilities, while others ameliorate deficits that may affect performance or interaction with others. Many courts have denied requests for such accommodations based on employers' assumptions about performance or the direct threats purportedly posed by people with psychiatric disabilities. By challenging these assumptions, which can be influenced by stigma and stereotypes, and by enforcing an employer's duty to interact regarding potential accommodations, employees with psychiatric disabilities could benefit from structural and social accommodations. Courts should consider social science research in determining which nontraditional accommodations may be reasonable and whether the employer can establish that they impose any undue hardship. Such consideration will expand opportunities for people with psychiatric disabilities in the workplace without unduly interfering with employers' interests.

Return-to-Work Following Depression: What Work Accommodations Do Employers and Human Resources Directors Put in Place?

The magnitude of economic and social costs related to common mental disorders has a profound impact on the workplace. Returning to work following depression is, therefore, a major issue for all stakeholders involved (employee, employer, human resources director, union, physician, etc.). Considering their role in the organization, Human Resources Directors (HRD) and employers have a decisive impact on the return-to-work (RTW) process. Purpose This study aims to determine which RTW accommodations are implemented, following depression, by one of the central stakeholders: HRD and employers. Methods 219 HRD/employers participated in a semi-structured telephone interview about RTW of employees after depression. From that interview, the question related to this article was: Do you put in place work accommodations for employees after a sick leave due to depression (yes or no)? If their response was positive, we asked: If yes, what were the work accommodations? Results 170 HRD/employers specified accommodations. The most common categories identified were related to: work schedule, task modifications, job change and work environment change. Accommodations directly related to the employee or the colleagues were considerably less mentioned and those concerning other RTW stakeholders, including supervisor, were almost absent. Conclusion Our results suggest that accommodations directly related to work aspects seemed to predominate in our sample of HRD/employers when an employee returned-to-work following depression. The relational aspect and the involvement of the different stakeholders are also not prioritized to accommodate the RTW. These results contrast with employer best practice guidelines for the RTW of workers with common mental disorders.

Workplace accommodations for employees with disabilities: A multilevel model of employer decision-making.

Existing research suggests that the decision to grant or deny workplace accommodations for people with disabilities is influenced by a range of legal and nonlegal factors. However, less is known about how these factors operate at the within-person level. Thus, we proposed and tested a multilevel model of the accommodation decision-making process, which we applied to better understand why people with psychological disabilities often experience greater challenges in obtaining accommodations. A sample of 159 Australian adults, composed mostly of managers and HR professionals, read 12 vignettes involving requests for accommodations from existing employees. The requests differed in whether they were for psychological or physical disabilities. For each vignette, participants rated their empathy with the employee, the legitimacy of the employee's disability, the necessity for productivity, the perceived cost, and the reasonableness, and indicated whether they would grant the accommodation. Multilevel modeling indicated that greater empathy, legitimacy, and necessity, and lower perceived cost predicted perceptions of greater reasonableness and greater granting. Accommodation requests from employees with psychological disabilities were seen as less reasonable and were less likely to be granted; much of this effect seemed to be driven by perceptions that such accommodations were less necessary for productivity. Ratings on accommodations were influenced both by general between-person tendencies and within-person appraisals of particular scenarios. The study points to a need for organizations to more clearly establish guidelines for how decision-makers should fairly evaluate accommodation requests for employees with psychological disabilities and disability more broadly. (PsycINFO Database Record

Supplemental Material for Workplace Accommodations for Employees With Disabilities: A Multilevel Model of Employer Decision-Making

Supplemental Material for Workplace Accommodations for Employees With Disabilities: A Multilevel Model of Employer Decision-Making

Review cases involving accommodations for employees

Colleges and universities must engage in an interactive process to provide accommodations for employees who request them for documented disabilities. See how the courts have ruled in recent cases involving disability accommodations for employees of colleges and universities.

Religious Diversity and Secular Models in Europe: Innovative Approaches to Law and Policy A Comparative Legal Study Addressing Religion or Belief Discrimination in Employment and Reasonable Accommodations For Employeess Religious or Philosophical Beliefs or Practices

The growing religious diversity in European societies poses important policy challenges in various domains of social life. The new religious landscape means that European states not only have to cope with inhabitants with varying commitments to Christianity as well as with humanists, agnostics, atheists, and Jewish and/or Muslim minority populations, but in many instances also with a ‘super-diverse’ range of other religious cultures and traditions which have entered Europe by way of immigration and conversion. Challenges with the position of Islam have been most visible, prompting a number of states to adopt restrictive measures on religious dress, family life and places of worship.This policy brief discusses a number of recommendations proposed by the RELIGARE project on on religion or belief discrimination in employment and reasonable accommodations for employees’ religious or philosophical beliefs or practices in the workplace.