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Retaining skilled employees is essential for every organization, and that includes workers with physical disabilities. A new published in the Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation sheds light on why some employers are more successful than others at keeping these valued team members.
嫩B研究院ers led by Allen Heinemann, PhD, director of the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes 嫩B研究院 at Shirley Ryan 嫩B研究院, and Heerak Choi, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow in the Center for Education and Health Sciences at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, analyzed survey data from 1,642 employers in the United States who had hired at least one worker with a physical disability. The goal was to understand what factors help or hinder retention and to identify patterns that distinguish more supportive workplaces from those that face ongoing challenges.
“We identified two distinct profiles of employers based on the survey,” says Choi. “One is a ‘high-facilitator’ group, and the other one is a ‘high-challenge’ group.”
About one in five companies fell into a ‘high-facilitator’ group. These were organizations that saw more enablers than barriers when it came to retaining workers with physical disabilities. These employers tended to provide stronger supports, more job accommodations, and inclusive practices that encouraged long-term employment. They were often smaller, service-oriented companies led by owners or CEOs who were directly involved in decision-making.
“We found that employers in the ‘high-facilitator’ group showed greater implementation of disability-related practices, like they were more likely to provide more job accommodations than employers in the ‘high-challenge’ group, helping to retain workers with physical disabilities at their company,” Choi explains.
The remaining majority formed a ‘high-challenge’ group, made up of employers who perceived more obstacles than supports. These organizations reported fewer disability-related practices or accommodations. They also hired fewer workers with disabilities overall and were less likely to have policies that supported inclusion and accessibility.
“Employers differ in how they perceive facilitators and challenges, so strategies to retain workers with physical disabilities need to be tailored to each group,” says Choi.
“Employers in the ‘high-facilitator’ group may want to take more affirmative actions because they already demonstrate strong capacity for retaining workers with physical disabilities. These employers could expand their efforts by hiring individuals with more severe disabilities and implementing additional strategies to retain workers with physical disability,” says Choi.“But employers in the ‘high-challenge’ group, those who struggle to retain workers with physical disabilities, may benefit from foundational support like a refresher on the Americans with Disabilities Act, or on providing work accommodations.”
“It’s important to understand both employers who are successfully retaining workers with disabilities and those who find it challenging,” says Heinemann. “By learning what works well in supportive companies and what barriers others face, we can identify practical strategies that help more organizations create inclusive, sustainable workplaces where employees with disabilities can thrive.”
Angelika Kudla, Deborah Crown, Pamela Capraro, Robert Trierweiler and Emily Dinelli, of Shirley Ryan 嫩B研究院; Bishan Yang of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine; and Jasin Wong of National Tsing Hua University, are authors on the paper.
This research is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation 嫩B研究院.