Employers' expectations and evaluation of the job performance of employees with intellectual disability

Abstract

Despite the fact that more persons with intellectual disability are employed in competitive jobs, there are few studies which evaluate their performance. A survey of 38 employers' expectations and evaluation of job performance of workers with a mild intellectual disability in Hong Kong suggests that employers were satisfied with the general work related performance of these employees. Of 25 work related attributes, employer ratings showed that employees with intellectual disabilities exceeded expectations in 7 aspects, fulfilled employers' expectations in 13 aspects, and performed below expectation in only 5 aspects. Employees were rated as having good record of work safety and were found to be reliable, well-motivated and honest. Employees' appearance, education, work experience and personality were rated low (poor) by employers. Implications for vocational training for students with intellectual disability are discussed.