185 Guidance of employees with a work disability to improve sustainable employability with a work disability, for example a mild mental disability or learning delay, can sufficiently reflect on, notice, and name possible changes. It is therefore possible that changes in guidance because of the Mentorwijs training have taken place, but not have been noticed by employees with a work disability. Despite these difficulties, attempts have been made to obtain information from employees with a work disability. For example, the questions were easily formulated, the interviews took place in a familiar environment, and in most of the interviews (7 out of 10) employees were together with at least one colleague. Implications for research and practice Further research on employees with a work disability should focus on how the working environment can be improved, and how supervisors can be convinced of hiring and investing in employees with a work disability. Further research should also focus on how supervisors can recognize the desires of employees to learn new skills and/or work tasks, how to provide these opportunities, and how they can create a safe environment where there is room for employees to make mistakes. This could facilitate a work climate wherein employees can informally learn and develop themselves, which likely increases the sustainable employability (21). However, for supervisors to create a learning work climate, it is important they receive support at organizational level – e.g. that organizations have policies on training and development, or supporting technologies to facilitate learning (33). Moreover, from this study, it is not clear whether the size of the company or type of workplaces influences the guidance of supervisors, while research shows that this could have an effect on employment (34). Studies that examined the differences between supported and sheltered workplaces showed that employees in supported workplaces are more satisfied with their job than employees in sheltered workplaces (17). According to the Dutch system, sheltered workplaces create jobs for employees with a work disability that are not able to work in the regular labor market. Supported workplaces are jobs for employees with a work disability in the regular labor market, but wherein these employees receive support related to their disability (e.g. job coaching, training). Therefore, it is important to do more research on the size and type of workplaces of employees with a work disability, as this could also influence the guidance they receive from supervisors. At last, this research focuses on the guidance of employees with a work disability in relation to sustainable employability. However, the private situation of the employee also plays a major role in their employability (21), as problems (e.g. unhealthy living conditions or financial problems) in the private situation may have direct negative effects on the employability of workers. Therefore, to adequately improve sustainable employability, future research should also focus on how supervisors can deal with problems in the private situation that affect the employability of employees with a work disability. 6
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