Employee engagement and commitment to two Australian autism employment programs: associations with workload and perceived supervisor support

Abstract

Purpose: Although there is growing academic and business interest in autism employment programs, few studies have examined employee (manager and coworker) attitudes toward these programs. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of workload changes (a job demand) and perceived supervisor support (a job resource) on commitment to the program and employee engagement more broadly. Design/methodology/approach: A total of 229 employees from two Australian public sector organizations completed a survey about the autism employment program in their organization. Findings: Perceived workload increases were associated with lower affective commitment and higher continuance commitment to the program. Perceived supervisor support was associated with higher affective commitment to the program and employee engagement, but lower continuance commitment to the program. Perceived supervisor support moderated the effect of workload increase on employee engagement, but not in the expected direction. Originality/value: This research helps to fill a gap in the autism employment literature by focusing on commitment toward autism employment programs among existing employees. The research helps to provide a more complete and nuanced view of these programs within their broader organizational context. © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Supported employment neurodiversity autism employment employee engagement Affective commitment Job demands and resources

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations

School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Sport and Tourism, La Trobe Business School, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia, Department of Psychology and Counselling, La Trobe University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Funding & Acknowledgements

Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria, DHHS

The authors thank the individuals who participated in this study and the staff from the two organisations who provided access to participants and supported data collection. The authors also thank Professor Cheryl Dissanayake and Professor Timothy Bartram for their advice in early stages of this research. This research was facilitated by La Trobe University Building Healthy Communities RFA Grants (1025872 and 3.2509.22.20) awarded to Jennifer R. Spoor and Darren Hedley, a La Trobe University School of Psychology and Public Health Engagement Income Growth Grant Scheme and funding provided by the Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services awarded to Rebecca L. Flower, Darren Hedley, and Jennifer R. Spoor. Simon M. Bury and Darren Hedley were supported by funding from DXC Technology and ANZ Bank. Darren Hedley was also supported by the Australian Government Department of Human Services and is currently supported by a Suicide Prevention Australia National Suicide Prevention Research Fellowship. Simon M. Bury is also supported by funding from Untapped Group. At the time of data collection, Rebecca L. Flower was employed by a consultancy company that assisted with the implementation of one of the two autism employment programs. Possible conflicts of interests were planned around and managed within the study's approval from the La Trobe University Human Research Ethics Committee. The funders had no role in the study design, analysis, data interpretation or writing of the manuscript. The authors declare no other actual or potential conflict of interest.

La Trobe University

Grant: 1025872, 3.2509.22.20

The authors thank the individuals who participated in this study and the staff from the two organisations who provided access to participants and supported data collection. The authors also thank Professor Cheryl Dissanayake and Professor Timothy Bartram for their advice in early stages of this research. This research was facilitated by La Trobe University Building Healthy Communities RFA Grants (1025872 and 3.2509.22.20) awarded to Jennifer R. Spoor and Darren Hedley, a La Trobe University School of Psychology and Public Health Engagement Income Growth Grant Scheme and funding provided by the Victorian Government Department of Health and Human Services awarded to Rebecca L. Flower, Darren Hedley, and Jennifer R. Spoor. Simon M. Bury and Darren Hedley were supported by funding from DXC Technology and ANZ Bank. Darren Hedley was also supported by the Australian Government Department of Human Services and is currently supported by a Suicide Prevention Australia National Suicide Prevention Research Fellowship. Simon M. Bury is also supported by funding from Untapped Group. At the time of data collection, Rebecca L. Flower was employed by a consultancy company that assisted with the implementation of one of the two autism employment programs. Possible conflicts of interests were planned around and managed within the study's approval from the La Trobe University Human Research Ethics Committee. The funders had no role in the study design, analysis, data interpretation or writing of the manuscript. The authors declare no other actual or potential conflict of interest.

References 10 References

1 Multiple Regression Testing and Interpreting Interactions, (1991)

2 Allen, Natalie J., The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization, Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63, 1, pp. 1-18, (1990)

3 Text Revision Dsm IV TR, (1994)

4 Autism @ Work Playbook Finding Talent and Creating Meaningful Employment Opportunities for People with Autism, (2019)

5 Austin, Robert D., Neurodiversity as a competitive advantage, Harvard Business Review, 2017, May-June, (2017)

6 Baio, Jon, Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder among children aged 8 Years - Autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 11 Sites, United States, 2014, MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 67, 6, pp. 1-23, (2018)

7 Bakker, Arnold Bastiaan, Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22, 3, pp. 273-285, (2017)

8 Bakker, Arnold Bastiaan, Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 10, 2, pp. 170-180, (2005)

9 Baldwin, Susanna, Employment activities and experiences of adults with high-functioning autism and asperger’s disorder, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 10, pp. 2440-2449, (2014)

10 American Journal of Sociology, (1960)

Employee engagement and commitment to two Australian autism employment programs: associations with workload and perceived supervisor support

How to Cite