Policy on manager involvement in work re-integration: managers' experiences in a Canadian setting

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Organizational Psychology
• Social Policy

Background:

• Sickness absence is a significant concern for Canadian workplaces.
• Local, bipartite return-to-work (RTW) policies are favored for managing absences.
• This study explores manager perceptions of these local RTW policies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine managers' perspectives on a locally agreed-upon RTW policy.
• To understand the lived experiences of managers executing RTW policies.
• To apply a social constructivist lens to the policy process.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with 10 managers.
• Interviews conducted within a Canadian healthcare organization.
• Verbatim transcription and qualitative analysis of interview data.

Main Results:

• Managers perceived themselves as central to the RTW process.
• Managers reported feeling unheard by other stakeholders.
• Managers struggled with adjusting return-to-work plans and managing worker limitations, leading to overextension.

Conclusions:

• Managers felt ill-equipped to meet the demands of the RTW policy.
• Managerial involvement in the RTW process was less than intended by the policy.
• RTW policies require a balance between managerial flexibility and stakeholder accountability, especially from healthcare and reintegration professionals.