Keeping a job

Keeping a job you enjoy can help you build a career, maintain a sense of purpose, provide financial stability and social connections. Sometimes to stay in a job, you might need new skills so you can take on new tasks at work. Sometimes, working might become harder and you need to make changes at work so you can keep your job.

Keeping your job might also mean you need or want to change jobs at the same workplace. For some people, changing jobs can be hard. You might need more supports until you are comfortable in your new job.

If you need to change employers to keep working, you can read Understanding supports for changing jobs .

You can talk with your parents, carers, friends and other people you know about keeping your job. Your employer, manager, supervisor or employment provider can also help.

You can also talk to your local area coordinator (LAC), support coordinator or planner.

They can help you with:

emotional support and advice about the social aspects of work
thinking about other supports you might need to keep your job
thinking about changes you might need to make to keep working
talking to your employer about making the job work for you.

You can also:

Talk to the people you know in the community, like a coach, community leader or family friends. Together, you can talk about any issues you are having at work and any extra support you might need.
Talk to peer support networks about employment supports and options that have been helpful for other people.
Talk to a career guidance or counselling professional about keeping your job. Career guidance can help you see if you need to learn new skills to work towards your work goals.

Below is a list of options that can help you keep a job. You might try some different options before you find one that works for you. Your supports might combine 2 or more of the options listed below.

Getting ready to keep a job

You can decide what new skills you might need to help you keep your job.

Think about:

Do you want to work full-time or part-time?
Do you need any supports at work to help you? This can be things like screen reading software, support for personal care or interpreting at work.
If you need supports at work, how can they be included in your work-day?
If you need help talking with your employer about supports at work, you could talk first with your family, friends, local area coordinator (LAC), or support coordinator if you have one.

What supports are available and how can they support you?

Building new skills can help you live more independently. You can also learn skills that can help you at work.

New skills might be catching public transport or getting your driver’s licence.

New skills could also be managing money, communicating with colleagues, keeping on time, teamwork and controlling emotions.

Participants have told us building new skills helped them get a job, keep that job or move on to a new job.

Research suggests the best way to develop new skills is with on the job training.

Getting support at work to keep your job can include:

flexible working hours
leave arrangements
working from home
access to a support worker, coach, mentor
choosing how you communicate (eg email instead of phone)
accessing modified training or equipment
regular on-on-one with your supervisor
asking for written or visual instructions if they work better for you.

Talk to your NDIA planner, local area coordinator (LAC) or support coordinator about:

developing and using your plan to pursue your work goals.
accessing supports in the community.

Ask them questions like:

How do I develop a plan and set goals to keep a job?
What supports and services are available for me to build new skills? or help me keep my job?
What have other people like me found useful?
How do I find a good provider to help me?

Read more about questions you can ask providers.

Kavanagh A, Brown D, Dickinson H, Mallett S, Marck C, Weld-Blundell I. (2021). Evidence review: Strategies to increase employment and economic participation for people with a cognitive disability. The University of Melbourne.
National Disability Insurance Agency 2021. Achieving a ‘sense of purpose’: pathways to employment for NDIS participants with intellectual disability, on the autism spectrum and with psychosocial disability. Australia. Prepared by L Smith, A Ames, M Bennett, R Morello.
Wilson, E. & Campain, R. (2020). Fostering employment for people with intellectual disability: the evidence to date , Hawthorn, Centre for Social Impact, Swinburne University of Technology.

This guide can help you understand which supports you could use to help you pursue your work goals. It does not mean a support will be added to your plan.

It does not mean a support will be funded by the NDIS.

Some of these supports are provided outside the NDIS. All supports in your plan must meet our reasonable and necessary standards. This includes being value for money.

If you read this guide, you should also read work and study supports.

Keeping a job

On this page

Getting ready to keep a job

What supports are available and how can they support you?