Case managers' perceptions of consumer work readiness and association with pursuit of employment

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether case managers' perceptions of consumers' work readiness - in the areas of the individual consumer's hygiene, social skills, medication adherence, psychiatric symptoms, and substance use - influence pursuit of employment. Methods: A cross-sectional survey study design was used to assess the role of staff perceptions in consumers' pursuit of employment. A hierarchical generalized linear model with a logit link function was used to analyze data from 1,556 consumers nested within data for 113 case manager caseloads. Results: Casemanagers' perception of work readiness was significantly associated with pursuit of employment. Conclusions: The clients of case managers with less stringent criteria for pursuing employment were more likely to take positive steps toward employment.