This qualitative study explored employer practices that enhanced success for employees with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Four employers in the southwestern United States who partnered with Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center participated in the study. Data was collected through individual, in-depth interviews with the participants…

Recent work design theories propose that the work design configuration (i.e. "work system") in an organization interacts with its broader social and economic environment. Nevertheless, there are few studies of how the broader environment affects the work system. In the present study, the authors used a qualitative theory-elaboration…

Informal learning and how individuals learn in the workplace have gained increasing attention by researchers in recent years. In relation to other learning activities, informal learning constitutes a substantial part of an adult's life. This paper explores the informal workplace learning experiences of graduate student employees. Data was…

The study examined the experiences of hearing managers of Deaf restaurant employees regarding accommodation and social integration. Deaf workers who use American Sign Language have diff erent social and accommodation needs than hearing coworkers, but most hearing managers are unfamiliar with these needs. Using stigma theory to frame issues of…

The workplace closet is a fundamental fixture in the working lives of many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ)-identifying employees who do not feel safe for their sexual identity to be known in their place of employment. Previous research draws attention to the processes of identity management that some workers adhere to for ensuring that…

Background: Obesity prevention efforts typically involve changing eating and exercise behaviors as well as the physical and social environment in which those behaviors occur. Due to existing social networks, worksites are a logical choice for implementing such interventions. Purpose: This article describes the development and implementation of a…

A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of psychological and safety environments of an oil and gas multinational enterprise. Twenty information technology professionals were interviewed to explore their feelings, perceptions, beliefs, and values of the phenomenon. The interviews elicited data about facets…

Aggression exposure is a critical health issue facing adolescents in the United States. Exposure occurs in various settings including home, school, and the community. An emerging context for aggression exposure is in the workplace. Thirty adolescent employees age 16-18 participated in a qualitative study exploring proposed responses to future…

Onboarding ensures learning success through sharing and acquiring knowledge to remain competitive. However, little is known about new Information Technology (IT) hires' learning needs in the absence of onboarding; therefore, the purpose of this case study was to examine, increase, and retain their technical knowledge at the Unified Communications…

This thematic collection of four papers explores a number of perspectives on companies in which multiple languages are used. The "organisational" perspective concerns the question of how the presence of or demand for multiple languages in the company is managed--how companies are guided by national and other policies in regard to the use…

Leaders have limited understanding regarding mobile technology (Ramo & Edenius, 2008). However, with over 1 billion users (Meeker, Devitt & Wu, 2011), managers are tasked with making leadership decisions regarding technology adoption, management and use. Leaders may find this difficult to undertake given the limited body of knowledge in…

Lifelong learning has become one of the keys to making workers' career paths more secure at both the French and the European policy level. However, the implementation of these policy lines raises delicate questions as to how the responsibility for vocational training should be shared among employees, employers and public institutions. The…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the sources of meaningfulness at the workplace, according to the perceptions of hospitality employees from different national cultures in one US-based hotel, based on Dimitrov's empirical study about the features of the humane organization. Design/methodology/approach: This was an exploratory…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate experiences of students when working during the term. The particular aim of the study is to determine central aspects relevant for students when assessing their term-time job. Design/methodology/approach: The data are based on a qualitative study conducted at Chemnitz University of Technology,…

The aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between learning and gender at the workplace, by means of an empirical study. It is argued that gendered participation is learnt at the workplace and does not constitute a "natural" division. The empirical part of the paper is based on a qualitative study of a bakery in which gender…