Work Adjustment in an Employment Program for Colombian People Involved in Armed Conflict: A Multilevel Mixed-Methods Case Study

Abstract

Work plays a significant role in societies; however, currently, work is a particularly difficult area for those in the most vulnerable social categories who have been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because there is scarce research on labor integration of people affected by armed conflicts from work adjustment (WA) perspectives, we have developed research to understand the relationship between people and their work setting in an employment program inspired in supported employment models (SEMs). To achieve this, a nonexperimental mixed-methods research design with a convergent parallel approach and multilevel design was developed. The results show that the work-adjustment approach is a useful framework with which to understand the relationship between the work setting and individuals. The conclusions of the research are as follows: (1) people who have been involved in armed conflicts can develop attitudes and abilities to properly develop their work; (2) the configuration of a labor-inclusion model is related to the results in the medium and long term, both in the program itself and in its participants and society; (3) the SEMs contribute to the effective inclusion of people affected by armed conflicts, which have low skills, scarce social contacts, and low educational levels.