Dr. Katherine Breward
Associate Professor, Business & Administration, University of Winnipeg
Non-conscious prejudice and discrimination at work, Fostering mental health at work, Mitigating bias in the recruitment and selection process , Diversity management programs in the workplace, Disability accommodation at work
Media
Fired Edmonton woman files human rights complaint for dress-code discrimination at car dealership
How accommodating workers with autism benefits employers – and all of us
World's First Study on Disability Inclusion in MBA Programs Launched
Essentials of Organizational Behaviour, First Canadian Edition
by Robbins, S., Judge, T., Breward, K.
Pearson Canada
9780134182971
This brief paperback text gives students more depth and breadth of practical tools to practice their management skills than any other organizational behaviour textbook. This edition continues its fresh approach to management coverage through current and relevant examples, updated theory, and a new pedagogically sound design.
Predictors of Employer-Sponsored Disability Accommodation Requesting in the Workplace
by Katherine Breward
Published by Canadian Journal of Disability Studies
January 15, 2016
Employer-sponsored disability accommodation is contingent upon employees being willing to request such accommodation. This paper examines individual, organizational, and institutional predictors of accommodation requests among adult workers with disabilities using data collected from 5,418 respondents to a Statistics Canada post-census survey. The Theory of Planned Behavior provides a frame of reference to develop a series of hypotheses about how each type of predictor influences accommodation requests. One key finding is that different predictors are significant for each category of accommodation. Another important finding is that individual variables directly related to disability accounted for greater variance in requesting than other aspects of personal identity, organizational factors or institutional considerations. There was some evidence of decision-making based on attitudes, specifically fear of stigmatization. However, the data suggest that norms in the form of industry and occupation-specific logics are also salient influencers. Meanwhile institutional forces meant to act as behavioral controls, such as legislation and union protection, do not seem to have the intended influence on accommodation requesting. This suggests that other forms of intervention, such as community education, may be required to encourage the requesting of needed workplace accommodation.
URL: http://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/248
Individual, Organizational, and Institutional Predictors of the Granting of Employer-sponsored Disability Accommodations
by Katherine Breward
Published by Canadian Journal of Disability Studies
November 24, 2017
This research examines the predictors of accommodation granting among adult workers with disabilities using data collected from 5,418 respondents to a Statistics Canada post 2006 census survey called the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey. Using a rational choice perspective that focuses on perceived utility (limited by social identity effects), I test a series of hypotheses about individual, organizational, and institutional variables that predict willingness to grant disability-related workplace accommodations. One key finding is that different predictors are significant for different types of accommodations, highlighting the need to avoid generalizing from one type of accommodation to another. Another important finding is that, as a category, individual variables directly related to disability explained a greater amount of variance in accommodation granting than other aspects of personal identity, organizational factors, or institutional variables. There was evidence that decision-making was influenced by stereotyping and the stigmatization of particular disability types. There was also evidence that occupational and industry-based logics of appropriateness are salient for the most commonly requested types of accommodations. Meanwhile institutional forces meant to act as behavioural controls, such as legislation and union protection, do not seem to be having the intended positive influence on accommodation provision in the workplace. The findings suggest that other forms of intervention, such as community education, may be required to encourage greater access to workplace accommodations.
URL: http://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/383
Biography
Dr. Katherine Breward is an Associate Professor who specializes in human resource management with a particular focus on disability accommodation at work, diversity programming, and combating non-conscious prejudice. Her research efforts focus on identifying evidence-based best practices for maximizing labour force participation and employment equity among people who have historically been disadvantaged in the labour market. This includes people with disabilities, immigrants, refugees, indigenous peoples, and people exiting the criminal justice system.
Breward’s early research used large datasets representing thousands of workers with disabilities to model the individual, organizational, and institutional factors that influence employee willingness to request needed accommodations and employer willingness to grant those accommodations. More recently her research focuses on detailed interviews and case analyses with individual workers with psychiatric and sensory disabilities to gain further insight into accommodation best practices. Her research has appeared in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, the British Journal of Management, Equality Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, the Case Research Journal, and the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.