IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jdisab/v5y2025i2p37-d1629354.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Navigating Invisible Disability Disclosure and Workplace Inclusion: Employers’ Attitudes and Workplace Policies

Author

Listed:
  • Niki Markou

    (Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia Str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece)

  • Doxa Papakonstantinou

    (Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, 156 Egnatia Str., 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece)

Abstract

This study explores employers’ attitudes and practices regarding disclosing and including individuals with invisible disabilities in Greek workplaces. Invisible disabilities present unique challenges regarding workplace inclusion and the disclosure of disability. Through a thematic analysis of structured interviews with 50 employers and human resource professionals from various industries, this research study identifies organizational policies, attitudes toward disability disclosure, the perceived impacts and benefits of hiring individuals with invisible disabilities, and recommendations for workplace inclusivity improvement. The findings reveal a range of employer practices. While many employers acknowledge the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace, there are gaps in formal training and structured policies. Employers have varied views on the necessity and timing of disability disclosure, with some supporting disclosure during hiring to ensure proper accommodations and others prioritizing employee comfort and autonomy. Important advantages of employing individuals with invisible disabilities include improved workplace diversity, increased innovation, and reinforced team unity. This study recommends diversity training, clear disclosure guidelines, and joint initiatives with external organizations to promote inclusivity in the workplace. These findings offer practical recommendations to close the inclusion gap and maximize the capabilities of employees with invisible disabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Niki Markou & Doxa Papakonstantinou, 2025. "Navigating Invisible Disability Disclosure and Workplace Inclusion: Employers’ Attitudes and Workplace Policies," Disabilities, MDPI, vol. 5(2), pages 1-14, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jdisab:v:5:y:2025:i:2:p:37-:d:1629354
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/5/2/37/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/5/2/37/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hugo Benítez-Silva & Moshe Buchinsky & Hiu Man Chan & Sofia Cheidvasser & John Rust, 2004. "How large is the bias in self-reported disability?," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(6), pages 649-670.
    2. Bruno Kusznir Vitturi & Alborz Rahmani & Guglielmo Dini & Alfredo Montecucco & Nicoletta Debarbieri & Paolo Bandiera & Michela Ponzio & Mario Alberto Battaglia & Benedetta Persechino & Matilde Inglese, 2022. "Stigma, Discrimination and Disclosure of the Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in the Workplace: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-14, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Thomas Barnay, 2016. "Health, work and working conditions: a review of the European economic literature," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 17(6), pages 693-709, July.
    2. Oliver Denk & Jean‐Baptiste Michau, 2018. "Optimal Social Security with Imperfect Tagging," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 120(3), pages 717-762, July.
    3. Nabanita Datta Gupta & Mona Larsen, 2010. "The impact of health on individual retirement plans: self‐reported versus diagnostic measures," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 19(7), pages 792-813, July.
    4. Ricardo Pagán & Andrés J. Marchante, 2004. "Análisis de las diferencias salariales por discapacidad en España: el caso de los varones," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 171(4), pages 75-100, december.
    5. Kreider, Brent & Pepper, John V., 2007. "Disability and Employment: Reevaluating the Evidence in Light of Reporting Errors," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 102, pages 432-441, June.
    6. Tomi T. Kortela, 2011. "On the costs of disability insurance," 2011 Meeting Papers 445, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Axel Börsch-Supan & Tabea Bucher-Koenen & Felizia Hanemann, 2018. "Early Determinants of Work Disability in an International Perspective," NBER Working Papers 25142, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Gimenez-Nadal, J. Ignacio & Molina, Jose Alberto, 2015. "Health status and the allocation of time: Cross-country evidence from Europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 188-203.
    9. Amélie Adeline & Ismaël Choinière Crèvecoeur & Raquel Fonseca & Pierre-Carl Michaud, 2019. "Income Volatility, Health and Well-Being," Cahiers de recherche / Working Papers 1906, Chaire de recherche sur les enjeux économiques intergénérationnels / Research Chair in Intergenerational Economics.
    10. Hugo Benítez-Silva & Richard Disney & Sergi Jiménez-Martín, 2010. "Disability, capacity for work and the business cycle: an international perspective [Has the boom in incapacity benefit claimant numbers passed its peak?]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 25(63), pages 483-536.
    11. Brent Kreider & John Pepper, 2008. "Inferring disability status from corrupt data," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 23(3), pages 329-349.
    12. Roger Wilkins, 2003. "Labour Market Outcomes and Welfare Dependence of Persons with Disabilities in Australia," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2003n02, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    13. Adriaan Kalwij & Frederic Vermeulen, 2008. "Health and labour force participation of older people in Europe: What do objective health indicators add to the analysis?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 17(5), pages 619-638, May.
    14. Xiaoyan Li & Nicole Maestas, 2008. "Does the Rise in the Full Retirement Age Encourage Disability Benefits Applications? Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study," Working Papers wp198, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    15. Melanie Jones, 2009. "Disability, employment and earnings: an examination of heterogeneity," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(8), pages 1001-1017.
    16. Hamish Low & Luigi Pistaferri, 2010. "Disability risk, disability insurance and life cycle behavior," IFS Working Papers W10/11, Institute for Fiscal Studies.
    17. Doreen Wing Han Au & Thomas F. Crossley & Martin Schellhorn, 2005. "The effect of health changes and long‐term health on the work activity of older Canadians," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 14(10), pages 999-1018, October.
    18. Olivia S. Mitchell & John W. R. Phillips, 2000. "Retirement Responses to Early Social Security Benefit Reductions," Working Papers wp006, University of Michigan, Michigan Retirement Research Center.
    19. Roozbei Hosseini & Karen Kopecky & Kai Zhao, 2022. "The Evolution of Health over the Life Cycle," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 45, pages 237-263, July.
    20. Perry Singleton, 2012. "The Effects of Disability Insurance: Evidence From Social Security's Disabled-Widow Program," Center for Policy Research Working Papers 148, Center for Policy Research, Maxwell School, Syracuse University.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jdisab:v:5:y:2025:i:2:p:37-:d:1629354. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.