The job quality imperative: broadening workplace approaches to disability inclusion and accommodation in management practice

People with disabilities face employment barriers that extend beyond labor market entry and stem from the quality of their jobs. Established multidimensional job quality frameworks exist highlighting the different dimensions of employment and working conditions that enable a worker to fulfill their needs and pursue their goals. In this article, we focus on specific dimensions of job quality that may be particularly relevant to the inclusion and sustainable employment of people with disabilities, including flexible scheduling, job lock, skills mismatches, training opportunities, and job insecurity. We also discuss the importance of advancing the conceptualization of job quality to account for the provision of workplace support and job accommodations which, while helpful to all workers, are particularly important for people with disabilities. We describe the challenges faced by managers in promoting job quality, including the reluctance of workers with disabilities to disclose their job limitations, leaving managers unaware of difficulties or misreading them as performance issues, a problem compounded by negative perceptions of workplace culture that can be held by workers living with disabilities. We conclude by offering recommendations for managers to enhance job quality and improve employment inclusion and work sustainability for people with disabilities