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Recent research has investigated how and why employees disclose a mental health condition (MHC) at work. Previous models have emphasized the 'decision model' perspective, focusing on employees' cost-benefit analyses. However, the disclosure process is complex, with scholars recognizing that no single model captures all disclosure instances. To dive deeper into the disclosure process, we conduct an in-depth qualitative study. Through interviews with 27 employees living with a MHC, we uncover that not all disclosure is deliberate. We develop a systems theory model of MHC disclosure that highlights how one's work environment can offer disclosure opportunities that can influence MHC disclosure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This symposium features research addressing cutting edge issues aimed at increased understanding and full organizational inclusion of people with disabilities. We include five research studies by 18 disability scholars, two discussants and two session co-chairs from Belgium, Canada, France, India, Poland, Switzerland, The Netherlands and the United States. Topics of focus include working with neurodiverse employees; examining the roles of managers and leaders; and the effects of remote work employes with disabilities. Our discussants will synthesize the presentations to suggest future research directions and practical implications for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion within organizations. Our collection of papers in notable for its range of topics, all of which are at the forefront of DEI research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This presenter symposium features five research studies by well-known disability scholars, from North America and Europe, on the inclusion and workplace experiences of employees with disabilities. Together, these studies extend the boundaries of disability research by showcasing inadvertent ways in which new supposedly inclusive workplace designs (e.g., alternative/digitalized work/conference spaces) can become empty promises or perpetuate social inequality; how and why career advancement may be stalled for some employees with a disability; how an employee's identity can be associated with their disability management strategy, and in turn their help-seeking preferences; and finally how even conventional large organizations may unintentionally exclude employees with a disability. Our discussants will synthesize the individual presentations to suggest future research directions as well as practical suggestions for promoting equity and inclusion within organizations as well as within important spaces of organizing such as this Academy of Management annual meeting. (In)visibilizing Disability in Activity-Based Working Author: Ive D. Klinksiek; UCLouvain Author: Eline Jammaers; Hasselt U. Author: Laurent Taskin; Critical Management Studies COVID-19 and Conference Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities Author: Joy E. Beatty; Eastern Michigan U. The Effect of Stereotype-Inconsistent Behaviour on the Feedback Provided to Employees Author: Catherine Connelly; McMaster U. Author: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Author: Ian R. Gellatly; U. of Alberta Author: Sarah-Kay Walker; McMaster U. Author: Jennifer Ho; DeGroote School of Business, McMaster U. Differential Help-Seeking Patterns among the Invisibly Disabled Author: Jordan Nielsen; Purdue U. Author: Seonyoung Ji; Purdue U., West Lafayette Author: John Lynch; U. of Illinois at Chicago Author: Julia Stevenson-Street; Purdue U., West Lafayette Experiences of State Agency Employees with Disabilities who Request Accommodations Author: Christine Nittrouer; Texas Tech U. Author: Claudia Cogliser; Texas Tech U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor mental health, such as depression, anxiety disorder, and substance abuse disorder, is a common health impairment across the world. For example, since 2019, 50 million adults in the U.S. have experienced poor mental health, and in Canada, approximately 500,000 working adults are unfit to work each week due to poor mental health. Given the prevalence and costs associated with mental health conditions, there is an increasing need to better understand the work experiences of employees experiencing poor mental health. The papers in our symposium join the bourgeoning body of research studying mental health, with an emphasis on the interpersonal dynamics that surround mental health at work. Each considers various forms of interpersonal or subtle discrimination employees might encounter at work as a result of stigma towards mental health. Together the papers represent different lens, including how leaders respond to their employees' disclosure of a mental health identity, how employees respond to their leaders' poor mental health, and how employees' respond to coworkers' mental health accommodations. The symposium will conclude on a more positive note with a discussion around what organizations can do to help alleviate some of these detrimental interpersonal dynamics. Under Pressure: Exploring Mental Health Disclosures and Supervisor Reactions Author: Ekonkar Kaur; U. of Washington, Seattle Author: Ryan Fehr; U. of Washington, Seattle Employees' Perceptions of Fairness towards Coworkers' Accommodations for Mental Health Conditions Author: Daniel James Quintal-Curcic; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Author: Jane O'Reilly; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Author: Laurent Lapierre; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Author: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa Mental Illness Stigma Towards Leaders: Consequences for Followers' Motivation and Performance Author: Michaela Scanlon; Smith School of Business, Queen's U. Author: Julian Barling; Queen's U. Senior Leaders' Perceptions of the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety at Work Author: Amanda J. Hancock; U. of Regina Author: Kara Anne Arnold; Memorial U. of Newfoundland Author: Ivy Bourgeault; U. of Ottawa [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miserable and meaningless jobs are a ubiquitous theme in popular media, suggesting that meaninglessness at work is an experience with wide cultural resonance. However, management research to date has largely overlooked meaninglessness and focused on meaningful work and meaning at work. This paper addresses this acknowledged gap in the literature by presenting the results of a qualitative research study based on interviews of 25 Canadian public servants who self-identified as experiencing meaninglessness at work. Using the methodology of interpretive phenomenological analysis, we find that the experience of meaninglessness is overwhelmingly negative but also rich and multi-dimensional, and goes far beyond the mere absence of the experience of meaning. We identify four main dimensions of the experience: uselessness, powerlessness, isolation, and absurdity. We further identify the broader implications this experience can have for participants and outline the coping mechanisms they deploy. These findings deepen our understanding of meaninglessness in the work context and shed light on an important but often overlooked aspect of modern life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Including persons with a disability within workplaces serves as an important return on investment for organizations as well as societies. The Valuable 500 initiative which originated from the World Economic Forum's New Economy and Society Platform in 2019 is focused on building prosperous as well as inclusive economies and societies. Their work suggests that employing persons with a disability can increase revenue by 28%, double organizational net income, and propel profit margins by 30%. Alternatively, the cost of excluding persons with disabilities can represent up to 7% of GDP within some countries (World Economic Forum, 2021). Recognizing the importance of such inclusion, several governments have enacted legislations, and numerous organizations have attempted to nudge employment as well as promote positive treatment of employees with disabilities. Joining this global conversation, the papers in this symposium showcase how state intervention may help workplace entry of persons with a disability (Kruse et al; Nittrouer et al), how organizational support systems may increase employee well-being (Keating et al), how organizational diversity statements may influence disability discrimination lawsuits (Chalise et al), and yet how employees continue to face barriers within workplaces (Samosh et al), attesting to much work that is needed in this area of inclusion. Our discussants (Bruyere and Colella) will bring together these ideas to suggest directions for future research a well as takeaways for managers, organizations, and policymakers. * Paid Leave Mandates and Employment of People with Disabilities * Presenter: Douglas Kruse; Rutgers U. * Presenter: Lisa Schur; Rutgers U. * Presenter: Mason Ameri; Rutgers Business School * Presenter: Lauren Gilbert; Rutgers U. * Day-to-day Identity Management Among Workers with Hearing Loss * Presenter: Robert Keating; Northern Illinois U. * Presenter: Jesus Martinez; Northern Illinois U. * Presenter: Alecia Marie Santuzzi; Northern Illinois U. * Presenter: Lisa M Finkelstein; Northern Illinois U. * Presenter: Larissa K. Barber; San Diego State U. * Presenter: Deborah Elizabeth Rupp; George Mason U. * Inclusion of 'Disability' in Corporate Diversity Statements: A Review of Fortune 500 Companies * Presenter: Shasanka Chalise; PhD Candidate, Memorial U., NL, Canada * Presenter: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa * Presenter: Catherine Connelly; McMaster U. * Presenter: Sandra Fisher; Münster U. of Applied Sciences and U. of Twente * Presenter: Abigal Leah Kogan; McMaster U. * Reducing Discrimination against Individuals with Mental Impairments * Presenter: Christine Nittrouer; Texas Tech U. * Presenter: Michelle Hebl; Rice U. * Presenter: Naomi Fa-Kaji; Rice U. * Presenter: Roshni Janakiraman; Florida State U. * Presenter: Peter Rutigliano; Mercer-Sirota Consulting * An Empirical Investigation of Career Advancement "Glass Barriers" and Disability * Presenter: Daniel S. Samosh; Queen's U. * Presenter: Anna Brzykcy; Technical U. of Munich * Presenter: David Baldridge; Oregon State U. * Presenter: Brent John Lyons; Schulich School of Business, York U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few decades, research on the inclusion of employees with a disability has allowed for theoretical as well as practical contributions. A key focus of this research has been on how best to include (e.g., through accommodations, legislation) those with a disability in the workplace (Beatty, Baldridge, Boehm, Kulkarni, & Colella, 2019). While this research has alluded to the importance of allies and detractors in influencing workplace inclusion, this topic has not received as much research attention. Specifically, allies can support others through affording tangible help, support, defense from threats, and policy advocacy (Asta & Vacha-Haase, 2013; DiStefano, Croteau, Anderson, Kampa-Kokesch, & Bullard, 2000; Sabat et al., 2013; 2014). To address this important albeit under-researched area, this presenter symposium features five research papers by well-known disability scholars. Together, these studies summarized below, extend the boundaries of disability research by highlighting who can be an ally (e.g., internal stakeholders such as managers, external stakeholders such as vocational rehabilitation employees), when, and forms of help extended by such allies. Informal accommodations for employees with disabilities: i-deal or no i-deal? Presenter: Catherine Connelly; McMaster U. Presenter: Silvia Bonaccio; Telfer School of Management, U. of Ottawa. Presenter: Ian R. Gellatly; U. of Alberta. More than a pillar: When co-workers and supervisors become allies for persons with disabilities. Presenter: Amit Jain; S P Jain Institute of Management and Research. Presenter: Christoph Breier; U. of St. Gallen. Presenter: Miriam Karin Baumgaertner; U. of St. Gallen. Presenter: Stephan Alexander Boehm; U. of St. Gallen. Allies as intermediaries: Strategies that promote hiring people with intellectual disabilities. Presenter: Christine Nittrouer; U. of Houston, Downtown. Presenter: Michelle Hebl; Rice U. Presenter: Eden King; Rice U. Enacting and slipping: Workplace behaviors of disability allies. Presenter: John Lynch; U. of Illinois at Chicago. Presenter: Arjun Mitra; California State U., Los Angeles. Presenter: Haoying Xu; U. of Illinois at Chicago. Workplace materiality as an ally or detractor. Presenter: Koen Van Laer; Hasselt U. Presenter: Frederike Scholz; Hasselt U. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of qualitative methods in organizational behavior and human resource management research has attracted increasing attention. Indeed, qualitative methods provide effective tools and rich data for understanding complex, implicit, and subtle organizational phenomena and relationships. Yet, those new to qualitative research, especially those trained in a strict quantitative approach, are often puzzled by its methodological principles and specific operations in practice. This symposium brings together four presentations that highlight innovative qualitative techniques and their applications to organizational behavior and human resource (OBHR) management topics. The first presentation extends the application of repertory grid interview and aggregative analysis to the development of group constructs (e.g., work performance). The second presentation suggests the use of innovative interview structures, which assists qualitative researchers to cultivate trust and gain richer data when exploring obscurities and darkness in organizations. The third presentation tackles the conceptual confusion regarding theoretical saturation and proposes a new approach to detecting saturation. The last presentation focuses on video ethnography strategies and demonstrates a video ethnographic study on top management team dynamics and their strategic decision making. This symposium aims to offer OBHR researchers insights into up-to-date qualitative techniques with hopes of enhancing the quality of OBHR research using qualitative method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]