Factors related to sustainable employment of people with acquired brain injury or spinal cord injury: The employer's perspective.
Barbara Schiffmann, Monika E Finger, Katarzyna Karcz and 2 others
PMID 36188914WHAT IT FOUND
Employers said keeping staff with brain or spinal injury depends on matching tasks to ability and open communication.
They valued job coaches to bridge gaps, especially when invisible cognitive issues or self-awareness problems arise.
Key findings
01Employers identified work performance and value creation as the central factor for keeping staff, with mismatches between employee and employer expectations being a primary risk for drop-out.
02For acquired brain injury specifically, invisible limitations like reduced self-awareness and fluctuating concentration were major challenges, often requiring professional mediation to align expectations.
03Support from specialists like job coaches was crucial for employers without prior experience, helping them understand disability impacts and design suitable work environments.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and likely biased toward employers with positive experiences or existing networks in disability inclusion. Saturation was not reached for barriers to employment because it was difficult to recruit employers who had negative experiences or terminated employment. The study focused heavily on the reintegration phase, so findings may not fully reflect long-term sustainability once a stable routine is established. Results are specific to the Swiss context, where insurance structures and labor laws differ from other countries.
Declared interests
The authors declared no commercial or financial conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these factors apply equally to all employers or that they guarantee employment. The participants were predominantly employers with positive experiences and professional support networks, so the study may underestimate the barriers faced by those without such resources.