Employers' perceptions of supporting an employee's work reintegration following stroke

A significant proportion of stroke survivors are of working age. While employers play a pivotal role in facilitating work reintegration, their perspectives remain unknown. This study aimed to explore employers' experiences and perspectives on supporting their employees in returning to work after stroke.

Qualitative descriptive approach. Participants were employers of stroke survivors who had received vocational rehabilitation, and were known to receive support from the clinical team. Semi-structured interviews were conducted online and data were examined using reflexive thematic analysis.

Ten employers were interviewed. Four themes emerged: (1) The vocational rehabilitation team (subtheme: Working as a team); (2) Knowledge is key; (3) Employers' involvement in facilitating return-to-work (subtheme: The employee-employer relationship); and (4) Impact of workplace culture, policies and workload management on return-to-work. Employers highlighted structured plans and supportive workplace culture as key facilitators of reintegration. They valued collaboration between the employee, occupational therapist and workplace; however, most wanted more information about stroke-related impairments to provide tailored support.

Employer insights underscore the importance of collaborative vocational rehabilitation involving healthcare professionals and workplaces. Findings deepen understanding of employer perspectives and highlight the need for specialist resources and communication to strengthen employer capacity in supporting employees after stroke.