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Concerns About Claiming, Postclaim Support, and Return to Work Planning: The Workplace's Impact on Return to Work
Shannon E Gray1, Luke R Sheehan, Tyler J Lane
1Insurance Work and Health Group, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia (Dr Gray, Mr Sheehan, Drs Lane, Jetha, Collie), Institute for Work and Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Jetha); Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Dr Jetha).
Objective:
The aim of this study was to determine how injured Australian workers perceived employer emotional (eg, empathy) and instrumental [eg, return-to-work (RTW) planning] support during the RTW process and examine associations between support and RTW.
Methods:
Using data from the 2014 National Return to Work Survey of injured workers with a workers' compensation claim, multinomial regression models examined relationships between support and RTW.
Results:
Receiving support and developing RTW plans were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of RTW. When controlled for one another in a single model, postclaim support had the strongest association with RTW, with RTW planning also significantly and positively associated with RTW.
Conclusion:
Provision of both emotional and instrumental support are important employer-led work disability management interventions. Research is required to develop strategies for increasing employer support to lead to improved RTW outcomes for injured workers.