Job Preferences and Expectations of Disabled People and Small and Medium‐Sized Enterprises in Poland: Implications for Disabled People's Professional Development

• Author: Katarzyna Burzyńska‐Ptaszek,Roman Kmieciak,Anna Michna
• Date: 01 September 2017
• Published date: 01 September 2017
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21280

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, vol. 28, no. 3, Fall 2017 © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21280 299

MIXED METHODS STUDY

Job Preferences and Expectations

of Disabled People and Small

and Medium-Sized Enterprises

in Poland: Implications for

Disabled People ’ s Professional

Development

Anna Michna , Roman Kmieciak , Katarzyna Burzyn´ ska-Ptaszek

In spite of general positive attitudes of employers toward disabled people,

there are persistently low employment rates for this demographic. One

possible explanation is that there has been insufficient adjustment of needs

and job preferences to suit disabled people and demands of employers. The

objective of the present paper is to present results of empirical research on

disabled people’s and small and medium-sized enterprises’ preferences,

expectations, and needs in relation to employment in small and medium-

sized enterprises (SMEs). We present a multistage study involving

quantitative research conducted among 1041 disabled people and 150

SMEs, and qualitative research including case studies conducted in three

SMEs that employ disabled people. On this basis, recommendations for the

professional development of disabled people are proposed.

Key Words: career development , employee development , training, disability ,

SMEs , Poland

Introduction

Disability is a multidimensional term, and it is difficult to define and classify

it. There are various definitions of disability and disabled (Bruyère, VanLooy,

& Peterson, 2005 ; Presser & Altman, 2002 ); however, for the purpose of this

article the following definition is adopted: a disabled person is “an individual

whose prospects of securing, returning to, retaining and advancing in suitable

300 Michna, Kmieciak, Burzyn´ska-Ptaszek

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq

employment are substantially reduced as a result of a duly recognized physi-

cal, sensory, intellectual or mental impairment” (International Labour Organi-

zation, 2002 , p. 4).

The European strategy “Europe 2020” (European Commission, 2010 )

indicates that Europe ’ s main strategic goals should be to moder nize its labor

market, develop new skills, and increase the rate of employment, including

among disabled people. This last point is particularly important considering

that the rate of employment among disabled people in Europe is approxi-

mately 27% lower than that of nondisabled people (Grammenos, 2011 ,

p. 105). In developing European countries, such as Poland, the employment

rate for disabled people is lower than it is in developed countries. Furthermore,

European countries with similar employment rates for nondisabled people

show large differences in employment rates for disabled people (Grammenos,

2011 , p. 105). This suggests that there is substantial potential to increase the

employment rate of disabled people.

Rates of unemployment among disabled people vary between countries,

but, on average, are two or even three times more than nondisabled people

(Grammenos, 2011 , p. 26). According to the Polish Central Statistical Office

(Central Statistical Office, 2016 ), the unemployment rate of people with dis-

abilities in Poland was 11.6% in 2015, compared to 7.5% of nondisabled

people (aged 16 or more). The employment rate of people with disabilities

was 15% compared to 51.9% for nondisabled people.

The employment rate of disabled people in Poland is lower than in devel-

oped European economies (Grammenos, 2011 , p. 18), which suggests that

support for disabled people who want to work is poor in Poland compared to

developed countries. The situation of disabled people in Poland could be related

to that country ’ s social and economic development. Until 1989, Poland had a

socialist economy based on a system of public ownership and administrative plan-

ning. Since then, the economy of Poland has transformed from being centrally

directed (socialist) to being market-based (capitalist). In 2004, Poland became a

member of the European Union (EU), which has opened up new opportunities

for economic development through closer business collaboration with other EU

members and access to European funding. However, a huge difference remains in

terms of welfare between developed economies and Poland. For example, in 2014

the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Poland was three times lower than

in its neighboring country of Germany (International Monetary Fund, 2016 ). All

these facts could have an impact on the situation of disabled people in Poland.

As in other countries, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play

an important role in the Polish economy. SMEs comprise more than 99% of

all businesses in Poland (microenterprises 95.7%, small enterprises 3.5%, and

medium enterprises 0.7%). Accordingly, SMEs are a key source of employ-

ment; 69% of people employed in all enterprises in Poland are employed

in SMEs (Central Statistical Office, 2015a , p. 24). However, although there

are 425,100 employed disabled people in Poland, only 7% of them work

Implications for Disabled People’s Professional Development 301

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq

in microenterprises and 20% in small enterprises. Most employed disabled

persons (73%) work in medium or large enterprises (Central Statistical Office,

2015b , p. 48). So why do so few employed disabled people work in SMEs?

Disabled people face a number of difficulties related to work activity.

Despite the fact that large amounts of money have been spent on promoting

their employment, ensuring work activity for disabled people remains a chal-

lenge (Barnes & Mercer, 2005 ). This could be because the needs and prefer-

ences of unemployed disabled people related to employment, and the needs

and preferences of SMEs related to employing disabled people, have received

relatively little attention (Ali, Schur, & Blanck, 2011 ). Moreover, workplaces are

often ill adjusted to disabled people ’ s needs, which is a result of the lack of suf-

ficient knowledge among employers about the employment of disabled people

(Newton, Ormerod, & Thomas, 2007 ; Smith, 2002 ). Furthermore, vocational

rehabilitation services for disabled people often concentrate much more on the

“supply-side” approach (i.e., preparing disabled people with the skills they need

for employment) and less on employer demands (understanding and meeting

the needs of employers) (Chan et al., 2010 ). However, it is important to concen-

trate on both “supply-side” approach and employer demands in order to find

employment for disabled people (see Luecking, 2008 ). Therefore, the current

issue is how to increase disabled people ’ s chance of being employed in SMEs.

Although research into human resource development (HRD) practices in

SMEs has attracted increased attention in recent years (Nguyen, Truong, &

Buyens, 2010 ; Nolan & Garavan, 2016 ; Rowden, 2002 ; Sheehan, Garavan,

& Carbery, 2014 ; Skinner, Pownall, & Cross, 2003 ), there is an insubstan-

tial body of research on the role and experience of SMEs in the employ-

ment and development of disabled people. However, SMEs are less likely to

employ, hire, and actively recruit people with disabilities than large enterprises

(Domzal, Houtenville, & Sharma, 2008 ). SMEs might be less positive in their

attitudes toward employing disabled people than larger firms are, but findings

in this area have been fairly inconsistent (see Unger, 2002 ). Moreover, few

studies have been conducted on the topic and those that have are now out-

dated. Nevertheless, SMEs are interested in obtaining financial benefits from

employing disabled people (Fraser et al., 2010 ). It is particularly important to

take into account that SMEs are different from large ones in a number of ways.

Compared to larger companies, SMEs usually have limited financial, human,

and other resources (Hudson, Smart, & Bourne, 2001 ).

In line with ‘Europe 2020’ strategy and in order to increase the rate of

employment of disabled people, the approach to professional development of

disabled people should be modernized in order to adjust the qualifications of

disabled people to the specific needs of enterprises, including SMEs. Accord-

ingly, our study is guided by a general research question: How can disabled

people ’ s chances of being employed in SMEs be increased, taking into account

job preferences and expectations of disabled people and SMEs? The objective

of the present paper is to present results of empirical research on disabled