Broadening thinking about RTW to take into consideration the complexities of its developmental nature holds promise for understanding and improving RTW, as it not only clarifies the importance of incremental milestones, but also facilitates intervention choice and evaluation.
It is suggested that more clearly articulating and operationalizing stakeholders' perspectives will allow researchers to advance the understanding of RTW interventions and outcomes.
The lack of consistency and comprehensiveness of RTW measurement is one of the factors compromising the advancement of the field of RTW research. It is suggested that a more complete and psychometrically sound array of research instruments, grounded within a commonly adopted paradigm, would further the understanding of RTW and the factors affecting it.
This study examined the relevance of the disease-and-demographics model for explaining the employment outcomes of adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Participating in a national survey of their employment concerns, 1,310 adults with MS provided data for the study (274 men, 21%; 1,020 women, 78%; 16 participants did not identify their gender). With an average age of 50 ( SD = 12.14), most of the respondents were White (92%), well educated (97% were high school graduates, 40% were college graduates), and residing in urban and suburban areas (74%). Results from a backward stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis included the following variables as best predictors of employment status: educational attainment, severity of symptoms, persistence of symptoms, and presence of cognitive impairment/dysfunction ( R2 = .23). The article discusses the relationship of the findings to psychosocial and career development models in rehabilitation and to training, educational, accommodation planning, and cognitive interventions.
Based on important findings from the four investigations in this special issue, this article discusses strategies that Human Resource Development (HRD) and Human Resource Management (HRM) personnel can use to minimize the unlawful termination of employees with disabilities and thereby preserve the diversity they bring to the workforce. HRD and HRM practitioners are constantly faced with the challenges of managing diversity given the rationale that a diverse workforce is more productive and more representative of the American population (Selden & Selden, 2001). Lack of awareness of the various forms of disability and of diversity management skills—key skills a good HRD practitioner ought to have—often results in conflict and mistrust, all of which can lead to failure to achieve individual, process, and organizational performance goals (Kochan et al., 2002). Diversity management, therefore, must take into consideration the various forms of disability—physical (mobility impairment and chronic illness), sensory (visual and hearing impairment), cognitive (mental retardation and learning disability), and emotional (depression and other psychological conditions)—as they interact with different (a) workplace demands and tasks; (b) attitudes and expectations of employers and coworkers; and (c) perceptions of people with disabilities themselves. To manage disability as a diversity issue, it is imperative that HRD and HRM practitioners, employees, management, and organizational leaders understand the meaning of disability as a diversity factor in the workplace and the potential impact of disability on critical HRM and HRD practices related to job retention and termination.
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