Beyond identity consciousness: human resource management practices and mental health conditions in sheltered workshops

Abstract

This study examines how individuals with mental health conditions (MHCs) are supported and managed in sheltered workshops in France. Based on interviews with sheltered workshop professionals and observations in these organizations, this qualitative study identifies and describes human resource management (HRM) practices related to individuals with MHCs and how these practices come into being. Three types of practices were identified: identity-blind practices, which are common to all employees regardless of their disability types; identity-conscious practices, which are specifically adapted to individuals with MHCs; and individual-conscious practices, which go beyond a mental health diagnosis and are specifically adapted to the individual at a particular moment in time. Several drivers lead to these practices: organizational or individual awareness of the need for adaptation, the intention to adapt, the availability of organizational resources, and the organizations’ allowance for flexibility. By analyzing the specific needs of individuals with MHCs in the sheltered sector, the article extends the concepts of identity-blind and identity-conscious practices and outlines several types of HRM diversity practices.

Keywords:

• Mental health conditions
• HRM practices
• diversity initiatives
• sheltered workshop

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 The familiarity with vulnerable individuals is generated by the professional context of one of the researchers, who is also the disability officer of the university