Concepts of job satisfaction in people with intellectual disability

Abstract

Background There is a growing body of research on job satisfaction in people with intellectual disability (ID). However, little is known about the subjective concepts of job satisfaction in this population. Knowledge on the conceptualisation of job satisfaction in people with ID and whether currently used concepts are meaningful for this population are crucial prerequisites to purposeful research for this group. Method Qualitative interviews on subjective concepts of job satisfaction were conducted with 129 employees of sheltered workshops. Relevant concepts and associated aspects were extracted using content analysis. Results Concepts can be grouped into holistic concepts, facet-related concepts and self-actualising concepts of job satisfaction in people with ID. Twenty-five percent of the sample did not have any concept of job satisfaction. Conclusions The concepts of job satisfaction in people with ID are closely related to those concepts as reported in organisational psychology. However, sufficient comprehension of the term has to be ensured prior to conducting research on job satisfaction in people with ID.

Assessment of Occupational Health and Job Satisfaction in Workers with Intellectual Disability: A Job Demands–Resources Perspective

“…Satisfaction also seems to depend on personal factors, as well as on characteristics and conditions in which the work is done but, above all, on the appraisal of the workers themselves of these factors, in particular the nature of the tasks, working conditions, physical and psychological demands, social relations, and perceived support from colleagues and supervisors. Likewise, features such as the perception of autonomy, self-determination, decision-making, independence, and motivation have been found to be related to job satisfaction in the scarce research carried out in this field [ 19 , 39 , 40 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. Those features, when perceived negatively, can become stress-inducing risk factors and jeopardize worker health and organizational outcomes.…”

“…Social support from coworkers or supervisors, obtaining feedback on performance, and having autonomy are examples of resources. Numerous investigations with ID workers have identified job demands and resources associated with their well-being and job satisfaction [ 19 , 39 , 40 , 44 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 ].…”

Employment mismatch from a distributive justice perspective

“…Especially for people with physical disabilities, a job mismatch is "a job in which a worker's functional limitations affect their ability to perform important functions of their job" (Choe and EJTD 44,8/9 Baldwin, 2017, p. 1,003). With the evolving assessment instruments, more scholarly attention has been paid to job satisfaction in people with intellectual disabilities (Kocman and Weber, 2018). While investigating individuals' job satisfaction level, a mismatch has been found between the job requirements and personality among people with intellectual disabilities (Akkerman et al, 2018).…”