183 Guidance of employees with a work disability to improve sustainable employability considerate to each other. These skills are part of the Mentorwijs training, as supervisors learn about different leadership styles, communication techniques, how to give feedback and how their own attitude may affect the employability of employees. However, most employees did not have a strong opinion about the effect of the Mentorwijs training for their supervisor, as they did not notice any (negative or positive) difference in the guidance after the training. Our findings therefore do not provide strong evidence that the Mentorwijs training did change the guidance of employees with a work disability. Further research must provide more insight into the extent to which the Mentorwijs training improves the guidance of employees with a work disability. In general, employees felt that their supervisors communicated clearly, but sometimes there was contradictory or unpleasant communication. Communication from the supervisor to employees with a work disability must be clear and understandable, as unclear communication could lead to conflicts between supervisors and employees in case employees cannot meet the supervisors’ expectations (21). The challenge for supervisors is to set clear expectations and give concrete instructions about work tasks. This is in line with previous research showing that good and open communication between the supervisor and the employee is important to discuss adjustments of work tasks or in the work environment (21, 25), as this may increase job satisfaction and thereby sustainable employability of employees with a work disability (27). Employees in our study generally spoke positively about the attitude of supervisors. It is important that supervisors maintain this attitude because research showed that negative attitudes from the supervisor to employees has a negative influence on sustainable employability (28). However, employees that we interviewed indicated that the attitude of their supervisor was not always good. An earlier study showed that supervisors tend to have negative attitudes about employees with a work disability, which is mostly caused by the concern that employees would be less productive (9, 10, 29). This could lead to supervisors closely observing employees on their work performance. As was described by employees in our study, this can negatively impact employee’s satisfaction as employees described that they wanted their supervisors to give them more autonomy, trust them more and take them more seriously. Moreover, research on U.S. veterans and their supervisors showed that when supervisors’ attitudes toward veterans improve, the veterans’ sleep and health outcomes also improve (30). Although this concerns a different target group, it does show how much effect a supervisor’s attitude can have on employees. Employees in our study also found compliments and appreciation important, and they wanted more appreciation for the work they were doing. Earlier research 6
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