Social relationships at work: Does the employment model make a difference?

Social networks at work are a poorly understood component of the vocational experience of persons with severe mental illnesses. In an exploratory study, we interviewed 104 employed clients from two types of employment programs: one emphasizing a gradual sequence of group and individual placements in protected jobs and the other consisting of a supported employment model emphasizing individual, competitive placements. Using a newly developed instrument, interviewers asked clients to identify coworkers and supervisors with whom they had contact and to rate each on several aspects of their relationships, including disclosure, emotional support, criticism, and overall satisfaction. The gradual, group-oriented approach was associated with more disclosure, emotional support, and overall satisfaction with supervisor relationships, and more emotional support but also more stress from coworker relationships, than the individual placement approach. We conclude that clients enrolled in gradual group-oriented vocational programs perceive more supervisory and coworker support than do clients working in individual placement programs, although implications for long-term success in community employment are unknown.