The Current Practice of Gradual Return to Work in Germany: A Qualitative Study Protocol

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Rehabilitation medicine
• Sociology of work

Background:

• Rising long-term illnesses pose challenges to workforce participation and employee health.
• Gradual Return to Work (GRTW) is a common intervention, but its facilitators and obstacles are not well understood.
• Understanding workplace adjustments is crucial for supporting employees with health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the national state of the art in workplace adjustments during return to work.
• To outline the design of a qualitative study examining current GRTW practices in Germany.
• To identify facilitators and hindering factors for GRTW implementation.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study employing 32 narrative interviews and 10 group discussions.
• Data collected from returning employees, organizational stakeholders, and external experts.
• Analysis of verbal data using the documentary method of interpretation.

Main Results:

• The study is designed to reveal facilitating and hindering factors for GRTW in Germany.
• It will examine the experiences and attitudes of various stakeholders regarding GRTW.
• Findings will shed light on the practical implementation of GRTW.

Conclusions:

• The study aims to contribute to an improved implementation of GRTW in Germany.
• Findings may have broader implications for return-to-work policies in other countries.
• Understanding stakeholder perspectives is key to optimizing GRTW programs.