III persons and capable workers: Constructing work ability in return-to-work negotiations after sickness absence

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Sociology of Health and Illness
• Communication Studies

Background:

• Return-to-work (RTW) requires collaboration between employees, employers, and healthcare professionals.
• Shared understanding of work ability is crucial for successful, sustainable RTW planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze how work ability is discussed and constructed in RTW negotiations.
• To explore the interactional methods participants use to establish a shared understanding of an employee's capability.

Main Methods:

• Utilized conversation analysis-informed membership categorization analysis.
• Analyzed 14 video-recorded RTW negotiation sessions.

Main Results:

• Work ability is contextually defined, with illness categories frequently used to justify or contest an employee's capacity to work.
• Participants leverage cultural understandings of illness and capability in negotiations.
• Membership categorization analysis effectively reveals situational aspects of work ability categories.

Conclusions:

• Work ability is interactively constructed during RTW negotiations.
• Understanding the situated nature of work ability discussions is key for improving RTW processes.
• This study offers a novel perspective on work ability through interactional analysis.