Disability Management Services in Unionised Environments: A Delphi Study

Abstract

A common suggestion in the disability management research literature is that consultative relationships between disability manager specialists and key union personnel can significantly enhance disability management services provided in unionised workplaces. However, the findings of previous knowledge validation studies have indicated that a sizeable proportion of disability managers believe they are under-prepared to provide services in unionised environments. Plausibly, these findings could reflect the dearth of existing outcome studies that expressly describe characteristics associated with the successful provision of disability management services in unionised workplaces. As a first step towards addressing the aforementioned gap in the disability management research literature, the current study reports the results of a Delphi procedure designed to provide information regarding possible factors that impact disability management services provided in unionised workplaces. The goal of the study was to develop a preliminary survey that could be used in subsequent research studies that address disability management best practises. Four thematically classified domains were identified that included: (a) disability managers' and disability management client characteristics, (b) rate of union representatives' participation in disability management services, (c) disability management service characteristics in unionised environments, and (d) disability managers' attitudes regarding working with labour union representatives. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of rehabilitation counsellor education and development of empirically based disability management practice strategies.