Supervisors' Role in Successful Job Maintenance: A Target for Rehabilitation Counselor Efforts

Abstract

This paper explores the role of supervisors in the process of return to work and job maintenance of workers with disabilities and the implications of this role for the work of rehabilitation counselors. To evaluate the role of supervisors in the adjustment process a comprehensive disability management effort at one worksite was studied in-depth. Surveys were completed by 25 workers with disabilities and their supervisors about the functional limitations caused by the disabling conditions and responsiveness of the supervisors to these limitations. Results show that successful adjustment to work is affected by the ability of supervisors to make accurate assessments of when conditions interfere with job performance, identify problems caused by disabling conditions, develop appropriate accommodations, monitor accommodation effectiveness and facilitate communication between workers with disabilities and their co-workers. Rehabilitation counselors can help to prepare the worksite for client return, assist with the communication and accommodation processes and provide ongoing support for the workers with disabilities.

“I Do That for Everybody”: Supervising Employees With Autism

“…It seems likely that supervisory and management style has a great deal to do with the success or failure of an employment experience for an individual with autism. This would appear to corroborate similar findings by Gates et al (1996) and Rogan et al (2000). Consequently, efforts to identify "good" employers and assess individual supervisory and management styles should be a critical component of the job search.…”

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A field experiment: Reducing interpersonal discrimination toward pregnant job applicants.

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