Outcomes

This session provides jobseekers with disabilities with the necessary information and tools to:

• Successfully maintain employment by understanding the expectations of supervisors and colleagues.
• Recognise how employer expectations change over time.
• Receive feedback from others (mentors and peers) regarding work performance.
• Develop an action plan to correct any soft skill deficits that might interfere with job maintenance.

Rationale

Participants need to receive honest, open feedback from mentors/supervisors to evaluate their soft skills (work habits and behaviours) in the workplace. For example due to lack of visual input or casual observation, some participants who are blind or partially sighted receive minimal social cues (subtle body language and facial expression indicating approval or disapproval of behaviour) and without concrete feedback that is written and verbalised they are unaware of the impact of their behaviour on others.

This session provides with this specific, written and verbalized feedback, focusing on their behaviour in the workplace. This feedback provides the jobseeker with ideas to consider in developing an action plan to change behaviours that are not well-received; thereby circumventing job maintenance problems in the future. A possibility for organisation of a mentoring scheme at workplace will be also discussed.

Content

This session includes:

Instruction: Discussion of critical areas of concern to employers (attendance, punctuality, honesty, cooperation, etc.) and behaviours demonstrated by good employees.

Activity: Participant complete a self-analysis using Test “Do you plan your time and do you cope with your work?” They begin work on an action plan to correct any soft skills deficits that are identified. Discuss implementation of Activity “Mentoring support”. Completion of Worksheet “Staying in work” and Activity “Tips for job retention” (see module 3).