Return to work of employees with low levels of education: The employers’ role and perspective

Abstract

BACKGROUND: To achieve adequate return to work (RTW) after sickness absence, Dutch legislation prescribes cooperation between absent employees and employers. Yet, we lack insight into how employees with low levels of education exercise influence over (i.e. self-direct) RTW. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to enhance our understanding of: A) the role that employers play in the self-direction of employees with low levels of education over their RTW, B) how employers perceive these employees’ efforts (or lack thereof) to self-direct their own RTW, and how employers understand and interpret the behaviours of these employees. Social cognitive theory served as a framework. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted with 13 employer representatives using semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed in NVivo12 using a template approach. RESULTS: Employers tend to play a guiding, directive role in employees’ RTW. According to employers, employees generally comply with the employers’ decisions and suggestions, whether or not they have tried to realise their own preferences regarding mode and timing of RTW. Employers interpret such employee behaviours from the perspective of environmental (e.g. financial pressures to RTW) and person-related factors (e.g. sickness and RTW perceptions). CONCLUSIONS: Employers, rather than employees direct the employees’ RTW. Employers should give voice to employees and enable them to have more control over their RTW. Future research should acquire more insight in the employees’ perspective.

Empowering self-direction in return to work of employees with low and high levels of education: A qualitative comparative study

“…More in general, our study results will benefit employers for employees with both low and high levels of education who aim to support employees' self-direction in RTW [1,12], and help them to develop more empowering leadership styles.…”

“…Houkes [12]) Theme -Pursue to abide by the requirements on employers set by RTW legislation (all interview participants).…”

“…With respect to the second sample, approval was obtained from the ethics committee of the Open University of the Netherlands (correspondence 8 May 2018, registration number: U2018/03287/HVM) [12]. This sample was earlier used in our study on self-direction of RTW among employees with low levels of education [12]. Purposive selection [23] was applied to recruit study participants in different occupational sectors and geographic locations in the Netherlands.…”

“…Purposive selection [23] was applied to recruit study participants in different occupational sectors and geographic locations in the Netherlands. They were mainly recruited via email and some by phone [12].…”

“…Despite the fact that a considerable part of the EU labor population has a low level of education (i.e. 27.5 percent in 2018, [18]), the RTW management of this group has received little attention in research [12].…”