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Seeking New Solutions: Best Practices in Workplace Accommodation for Psychiatric Impairments

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The Palgrave Handbook of Disability at Work

Abstract

Many people with conditions such as schizophrenia and severe mood disorders struggle to succeed in the labour market. There are several reasons for this including systemic marginalization and stereotyping; however, one of the most salient reasons is a general lack of understanding about the functional limitations and accommodation needs of these workers. That ignorance and uncertainty contributes to employer reluctance to hire these individuals. This chapter summarizes the functional limitations associated with these disabilities and provides evidence-based information on viable accommodations. A new classification system for psychiatric accommodations is proposed to help better organize and direct future research effects. A key insight is that the most frequently requested accommodations actually represent well-documented best practices for managing ALL workers, not just workers with psychiatric symptoms. As such accommodation is not as onerous as commonly believed and extending ‘accommodations’ to all workers can improve organizational functioning and employee well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Katherine Breward

Authors
  1. Katherine Breward
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Correspondence to Katherine Breward .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Sandra L. Fielden

  2. Department of Kinesiology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, USA

    Mark E. Moore

  3. The Open University Business School, Milton Keynes, UK

    Gemma L. Bend

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Breward, K. (2020). Seeking New Solutions: Best Practices in Workplace Accommodation for Psychiatric Impairments. In: Fielden, S.L., Moore, M.E., Bend, G.L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Disability at Work. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42966-9_21

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