Rosanne Schaap

178 Chapter 6 communication from the supervisor did not always go well according to some employees, as there was occasional contradictory or unpleasant communication. Some employees also indicated that a supervisor did not or not properly fulfil his promises to provide new work tasks or new work clothes: E5: “We often said: ‘when do we get other clothes?’ And then it was: ‘yes it comes, it comes.’ We are now two years later, and we still have the same clothes.” (Woman, 21 years). One employee also stated that he did not like it when the supervisor not directly communicates with him, but communicated with others about his work functioning. Several employees also stated that they had little contact with their supervisor: E2: “I only see him (supervisor) in the morning at the workplace and I don’t see him any further.“ (Man, 54 years). Employees expressed different desires about the communication with their supervisor. For example, employees would like to talk with their supervisor now and then. Other employees desired a clearer explanation of their work tasks, because sometimes it was unclear how to perform their work. According to some employees, the Mentorwijs training had changed the communication of their supervisors. An employee mentioned that his supervisor communicated better. Attitude Employees were, in general, satisfied with the attitude of their supervisors towards them. What was mentioned most regarding this skill and what employees were very satisfied with when it comes to their guidance, was that employees’ opinions were taken seriously: E9: “You wouldn’t say it because we all have a disability, but we are simply taken seriously.” (Man, 53 years). In addition, several employees indicated that their supervisors were friendly, reliable, and considerate to employees, and that they trusted the employee in that they performed their work tasks well. Negative experiences of employees were that some indicated that their supervisor had a negative attitude. Even though employees were generally satisfied with the attitude of supervisors, some employees with the same supervisor indicated the following areas for improvement for their supervisor: they would want their supervisor to give them more autonomy, be more considerate and more patient, not treat them as children, trust them more, and take them more seriously. These employees were,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw