Consulting Psychology Journal, Vol 75(3), Sep 2023, 240-257; doi:10.1037/cpb0000242
Although the shift to remote work brought about by COVID-19 serves as a critical event for most, workers with disabilities may be differentially impacted owing to the historical social exclusion of this population. Compounding this social exclusion with the lack of physical presence in the workplace, important questions arise related to disability and remote work—in particular, whether employees with disabilities may receive diminished help from others when working remotely (rather than in the workplace) and whether this diminished help is consequential for employee’s satisfaction with work. To address these questions, we leverage construal-level theory and social-exchange theory to suggest that being compelled to work in isolation from others has harmful consequences, including diminished help in the workplace and decreased job satisfaction. Using data from 329 employees, we found that employees with disabilities received diminished help from others when working from home and that this diminished help decreased satisfaction, but only in instances where these employees had high-quality relationships with their leaders. Altogether, this research offers novel theoretical insight into the experience of employees working both remotely and on-site during this health pandemic for both disability and nondisability populations, as well as practical advice for organizations on how best to be inclusive when external events impact the physical configurations of work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)