ABSTRACT
Care perspectives on work and management view individuals as fundamentally relational (Gilligan, 1982), and organisational success as compatible with humane and caring relationships (Hodson & Roscigno, 2004). Such critical approaches explore how the work-relation can be reconsidered as a means for promoting affirmation, diversity, and care towards employees (Islam, 2013). Organizations can, therefore, implement work inclusion processes that seek caring and pursue a more inclusive approach. We focus on the work inclusion process of people with intellectual disabilities, to shed light on what constitutes a good employment process.
Notwithstanding a prolific stream of research on the determinants of the good outcomes in the supported employment experiences (e.g. Gröschl, 2007, 2011), to the best of our knowledge, there is no attempt to systematise the empirical evidence. By analysing the work inclusion processes through the lens of caring we are able to identify the elements of a good work inclusion process in which the ethics of care can be detected. Our study is based on a qualitative approach, through multi-case studies analysis of data collected in the Italian hospitality industry.
