Job integration has a lot do with how long an employee works at a company and what type of job he or she has. In this study by the Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports, 390 participants served by 19 supported employment agencies were asked to fill out 32 multiple-choice responses. Their answers fell into company, employee, work area, and benefit sections. The survey measured physical and social opportunities for integration on the job and the extent that a person was making the most of integration opportunities presented.

The consumers worked in these fields: food preparation (30%), janitor/housekeeper (16%), stock clerk/grocery (16%), assembly (15%), clerical (11%), other (4%), human service (3%), laborer (3%), laundry (3%), and grounds keeper (1%). Results showed that those in clerical jobs were more integrated than those in other jobs. Factory workers had the least integration.

Consumers were not as fully integrated as they could be, especially in company benefits and coworker activities. They participated at varying levels depending on opportunities and their personal preferences. Participants had more regular contact with coworkers in the workday, had a supervisor's check in with them, got assistance from others at work, were paid by the company, got regular raises reviews, and earned competitive wages. In other areas, such as socializing with coworkers outside work, they mixed little with others. Findings showed that the longer they were employed at a job, the more job integration they had. Participants worked an average of 2.5 years.

For more information, contact the Rehabilitaiton Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports, Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU Box 842011, Richmond, VA 23284, (804) 828-1851, (804) 828-2494 (TTY), RTC Web site

See the report on the same topic at RTC Web site.

This research was supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research in the U.S. Department of Education. #60

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports. (1996, Summer). Supported employment research: Impacting the work outcomes of individuals with disabilities/Vocational Integration Study. Richmond, VA: Author.

Keyword: Employment

Copyright. The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Independent Living.