Job satisfaction, work-related stress and disability

In this paper, we investigate the impact of disability on job satisfaction and work-related stress using the European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS, sixth wave). Employees with limitations in daily activities related to their long-term illness or health problems are found to experience lower job satisfaction and higher work-related stress. For these employees, a multivariate analysis shows that future adaption of the workplace or work activities can affect work-related stress and job satisfaction and that work-life balance has a higher impact than on the overall sample. These results confirm the need to adopt organisational changes and workplace adaptations to make the workplace more inclusive for people with disabilities. Perceived discrimination connected to one’s disability status is also found to increase work-related stress among employees, calling for specific actions to contrast and prevent stereotypes and direct discrimination in the workplace.