Documents Williams-Whitt, Kelly 2 results

"The results of a qualitative field investigation exploring how tripartite relationships affect disability accommodations are reported. Arbitration cases, in-depth interviews and other documentation are analyzed using grounded theory techniques. Four key categories emerge as contributors to difficult accommodations. The first category suggests that managerial reluctance and bias may stem from added workload or from questions about disability credibility. It further demonstrates how trust issues spill over to affect future accommodations. The second category, employee involvement, indicates that excluding the disabled employee from accommodation planning occurs frequently and has a negative affect on communication patterns, again damaging trust. The third category, ineffective investigation, highlights the difficulty managers have balancing confidentiality requirements: over-investigating illness legitimacy and under-investigating accommodation options. The final category, union-management climate, looks at union roles in accommodation and suggests that while unions often play a unique and positive role, substantial union-management animosity taints return-to-work efforts."

"This research captures the physical and social experience of disability by analysing the practical performance problems that arise when an ill or injured employee returns to work, and documenting how those problems are interpreted. The grounded theory approach suggests an alternative to the traditional biomedical or social perspectives on disability. Field research reveals four themes: attendance, disciplinary history, peer interaction and task function. Managerial and co-worker perceptions were significantly affected by interactions that occurred before any disability was known to exist. Historic patterns of social exchange strongly suggest that social capital theory explains problematic work performance."