Strydom, Nina (2013-03)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Persons with disabilities face many barriers in the workplace due to their disabilities as well as because of the impact of their environment. The purpose of the study was to identify the environmental barriers, and to understand the factors related to the employment of persons with disabilities in one private healthcare company in South Africa, where employees with disabilities make up 0.93% of the entire workforce.
This was a phased, descriptive study using both quantitative and qualitative methods. During the first phase, all employees with disabilities employed by the Company in 2011 were requested to complete questionnaires, which included the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) form, used to quantify environmental barriers into five domains of functioning. Managers of employees with disabilities were also requested to complete a questionnaire, which included limited sections of the CHIEF form, as well as questions to explore their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices regarding persons with disabilities. Purposive, convenience sampling was done for the second phase, where Company employees with disabilities and Company managers were interviewed.
Results were obtained from 40 Company employees with disabilities and 57 managers. Of the Company employees with disabilities, 41% had physical disabilities, 15% visual and 13% hearing disabilities. Seventy-one per cent were employed in the two lowest job categories (unskilled and semi-skilled), compared to 61% in the entire Company workforce employed in these categories. Thirteen per cent worked in active nursing and 22% in related nursing positions. Eighty-seven per cent of employees with disabilities identified at least one barrier across the CHIEF domains, and 56% identified barriers in four or five domains. Domains 1-3 (namely attitudes and support; services and assistance; and physical and structural) were the most significant, based on frequency (p=0.00000) and magnitude (p=0.00005) (Kruskal Wallis test). Primary barriers identified by both managers and Company employees with disabilities were attitudes at work, transport and surroundings. Eighty-one per cent of managers were willing to re-employ the employee with a disability again. Findings from the qualitative study supported quantitative results. Company employees with disabilities valued their contributions and recommended reducing barriers associated with recruitment practices and negative attitudes. Managers generally experienced positive interaction with Company employees with disabilities. Managers felt that the Company could do more to reduce recruitment barriers. Managers require more knowledge and support regarding recruitment and performance management of persons with disabilities.
Significant environmental barriers exist in the private healthcare employment environment. Reducing environmental barriers could lead to greater success in the employment of persons with disabilities. Recommendations
The conceptual framework that was developed as part of the study should be implemented to increase focus on the employment of persons with disabilities. Employees must be encouraged to disclose their disabilities. Poor attitudes across all employees should be addressed by training and sensitisation. Recruitment practices, including advertising, engagement with disability employment companies, and interview processes, should be improved. The Company should implement experiential learnerships. Managers should receive training and assistance with performance management of persons with disabilities.
Mense met gestremdhede ondervind probleme in die werkplek, nie net as gevolg van die gestremdheid self nie, maar ook as gevolg van hindernisse wat veroorsaak word deur die omgewing waarin hulle werk. Die doel van die studie was om hierdie hindernisse te identifiseer en ook die verwante probleme wat mense met gestremdhede in die werkplek ondervind, te verstaan. Die studie is uitgevoer in „n private gesondheidsorgmaatskappy waar mense met gestremdhede 0.93% van die totale werkerskorps uitmaak.
Dit was „n gefaseerde, beskrywende studie waar kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe metodes gebruik is. Gedurende die eerste fase van die studie is inligting verkry van werkers met gestremdhede deur middel van vraelyste wat ook die Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) vorm ingesluit het wat omgewingshindernisse in 5 groepe van funksionering kwantifiseer. Bestuurders se vraelys het dele van die CHIEF ingesluit, asook vrae om hulle kennis, houdings, praktyke en gelowe oor mense met gestremdhede te toets. In die tweede deel van die studie is onderhoude gevoer met werkers met gestremdhede en hulle bestuurders wat deur middel van doelgerigte, gerieflikheidseleksie geïdentifiseer is.
Veertig mense met gestremdhede en 57 bestuurders het aan die studie deelgeneem. Sewe-en-veertig persent van werkers met gestremdhede het „n fisiese gestremdheid gehad, 15% „n visuele gestremdheid en 13% was gehoorgestremd. Een-en-sewentig persent van werkers het die laagste twee poskategorieë beklee (ongeskool en semi-geskool) in vergelyking met 61% van die algemene werkerskorps in daardie poskategorieë. Dertien persent werkers het in verpleegposte gewerk, en 22% in verpleegverwante posisies. Sewe-en-tagtig persent van werkers met gestremdhede het ten minste een hindernis in een CHIEF-groep geïdentifiseer, en 56% het ten minste een hindernis in vier of vyf van die CHIEF-groepe geïdentifiseer. Die drie primêre CHIEF-groepe wat geïdentifiseer is, was houdings en ondersteuning; diens en hulp; en fisiese en strukturele groepe, gebaseer op frekwensie (p=0.00000) en grootte (p=0.00005) (Kruskal Wallis toets). Die belangrikste hindernisse wat deur werkers met gestremdhede genoem is, was negatiewe houdings in die werkplek, vervoer en die omgewing. Een-en-tagtig persent van bestuurders was bereid om weer dieselfde werkers met gestremdhede in diens te neem.
Die bevindings in die kwantitatiewe studie is deur die kwalitatiewe resultate ondersteun. Werkers met gestremdhede het gevoel dat hulle waardevolle bydraes lewer, Die vermindering van hindernisse, insluitend indiensnemingspraktyke en die verbetering van houdings die indiensneming van mense met gestremdhede sal verbeter. Bestuurders van mense met gestremdhede het oor die algemeen positiewe ervarings met mense met gestremdhede ervaar en het gevoel dat die Maatskappy meer kan doen om indeniensnemingshindernisse te verminder. Bestuurders benodig meer kennis en ondersteuning gedurende indiensneming en prestasiebestuur van mense met gestremdhede.
Omgewingshindernisse is teenwoordig in die private gesondheidsorgomgewing. Die vermindering van omgewingshindernisse mag tot groter sukses lei gedurende die indiensneming van mense met gestremdhede.
Die raamwerk vir die formalisering van die indiensneming van mense met gestremdhede wat ontwikkel is moet geïmplementeer word. Werkers moet aangemoedig word om hulle gestremdhede bekend te maak. Swak houdings teenoor mense met gestremdhede moet deur opleiding en sensitisering aangespreek word. Indiensnemingspraktyke moet verbeter. Internskappe moet geïmplementeer word. Bestuurders moet opleiding en hulp met die bestuur van mense met gestremdhede ontvang.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/79855
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