Development and Validation of a Workplace Well-Being Assessment Tool for Workers with Intellectual Disabilities

Workplace well-being is a critical determinant of employment retention for people with intellectual disabilities (PwID), a population that remains largely disadvantaged in both access to employment and job retention. Despite this, no validated questionnaire currently exists to assess workplace well-being and its associated factors that has been specifically developed for this population. The objective of the present research was therefore to develop a quantitative, self-reported instrument designed to assess workplace well-being and its associated factors tailored to PwID in sheltered employment. In a first study, the questionnaire content was evaluated by an expert committee composed of professionals and researchers in the field, using the Lynn method. The instrument included indicators of workplace well-being (i.e., burnout, need for recovery, job satisfaction and vigour), job characteristics, and recovery outside of work, variables based on the JD-R model, the DISC-R model and recovery theories. In a second study, this validated questionnaire was administered to a sample of PwID to assess its accessibility. All 80 items were validated by the expert committee. Testing with 29 respondents indicated that the questionnaire was accessible to the target population. Further research is needed to test the questionnaire with a larger sample to provide additional psychometric evidence.