Temporary Work, Underemployment and Workplace Accommodations: Relationship to Well‐being for Workers with Disabilities

Abstract

This study examines whether employment status and workplace accommodations are associated with perceived well-being among workers with disabilities. Data from the 2006 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey conducted by Statistics Canada were used to test the relationship between employment status, receipt of workplace accommodations and well-being. Findings indicated that fully utilized permanent employees showed greater life satisfaction and less perceived disability-related discrimination than either temporary workers or permanent workers who were underemployed. These findings support the theory that inadequate employment is associated with deleterious effects on employee well-being due to inferior need fulfilment and reduced social status. Workplace accommodations were associated with higher levels of well-being for all workers with disabilities and helped to mitigate the negative effects of temporary status and underemployment. These findings supported the theoretical extension of main effect and buffering models of workplace stress to the prediction of perceived workplace discrimination.

The Earnings and Employment Outcomes of the 2005 Cohort of Canadian Postsecondary Graduates with Disabilities

“…Workers with disabilities remain much more likely to encounter job insecurity, poor employment status, underemployment, and are overrepresented in entry‐level and part‐time jobs ( Kaye ; Konrad et al. ; Schur et al. ).…”

Age and Assessments of Disability Accommodation Request Normative Appropriateness

“…Thus, the results may not generalize beyond the United States, to other disability groups, or to those with later disability onset. Further, within this population, we focused on full‐time employees because these employees are apt to be in a better position to request needed accommodations (Konrad, Moore, Ng, Doherty, & Breward, ). While people who are employed part‐time might be expected to have even less favorable normative appropriateness and compliance expectations, their reasons may differ, and, therefore, generalization of the current study's findings to part‐time or unemployed workers is not warranted.…”

The Tyranny of Fit: Yet another Barrier to Mainstream Employment for Disabled People in Sheltered Employment

“…On a general level, disabled people have the same aspirations as other people including ‘meaningful work, decent housing, financial security, friendships, health and a high quality of life’ (Bond and Campbell , cited in Konrad et al . : 2). But aspirations can be limited by what individuals consider they can achieve (Cocks and Boaden ) and by their peer groups, others’ expectations of them, their academic skills and the realities of the labour market (Lindstrom et al .…”

“…Aspirations can also affect a person's achievements and resilience in the workplace (Konrad et al . : 13). For example, high aspirations can increase a person's capacity to deal with discrimination and perform in a job (Lindstrom et al .…”