515: Perfectly Accommodated or Trapped? Exploring Loneliness of People with Disabilities Working Remotely (15170)

Sunday, August 11, 2024

08:00 – 09:30 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

Location: Hyatt: Skyway 272

Session Number: 515
Paper Session
Orientation: International,Research,Diversity
Shareable link: https://cdmcd.co/wjpand

Author(s)

QH

Qiongjing Hu

Zhejiang U., China
YC

Yuting Chen

School of management, Zhejiang U., China
XZ

Xiji Zhu

School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi U., Japan
DB

David Baldridge

Oregon State U., United States
QX

Qianyuan Xiao

Antai College of Economics and Management, Shanghai Jiao Tong U., China
XX

Xiaoyun Xie

Zhejiang U., China

This study aims to explore the dynamics of workplace loneliness among people with disabilities (PWD) who work remotely, examine its impact on their work and life, and identify leadership behaviors that can mitigate loneliness. Through qualitative interviews with 84 individuals—75 employees with disabilities working remotely and 9 leaders who supervise PWD in remote work—we examine the experience of workplace loneliness and its implications. Utilizing repeated coding and literature retrospectives, we develop a theoretical model of the emergence, consequences and solutions of workplace loneliness for PWD working remotely. Our findings indicate that three factors in remote work context (external contact, communication quality and work independence) and two disability attributes (disability onset and severity) interact to impact the extent of loneliness. We also identify four types of leadership behaviors which can help lessen workplace loneliness (supportive communication, cooperative work design, inclusive treatment, and team intimacy development) and compare gender and age differences with regard to leader behaviors’ effectiveness. Our research contributes to the disability literature by underscoring the inclusion of PWD in remote work contexts and emphasizing the often-overlooked role of leadership.

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