Inclusive workplaces rely on the joint optimization of disability management and human resource management. However, disability management has been predominantly investigated as an independent issue, overlooking its interplay with human resource management. The article delivers a bibliometric and interpretive review of the scholarly debate falling at the crossroad of disability management and human resource management, mapping the state of the art of this study domain. Departing from a knowledge core of 91 papers, 6 research streams were identified through bibliographic coupling. They account for the evolution of disability management from a fix-it initiative aimed at fostering return to work of people with disability towards a holistic management approach targeted at inclusiveness. Aligning the hard and the soft sides of disability management and embedding it in the organizational culture are crucial to enact inclusive workplaces and make organizations able to engage people with disability at work.

Psychologists’ adherence with evidence-based guidelines based on the biopsychosocial premise in the management of musculoskeletal injuries is influenced by the actions by General Practitioners (GPs), insurers, and injured patients’ actions. For data collection, we interviewed GPs (n = 6), insurers (n = 6), and injured people (n = 15) from the two personal injury compensation schemes in New South Wales. Thematic analysis yielded the following: GPs were reticent to access psychological services that represented a poor fit between their practice and treatment guidelines, insurers lacked trust in the validity of “secondary psychological injury” claims’. Injured peoples’ willingness to engage with treatment was impaired by a poor fit between the treatment guidelines and their experience of insurers’ and psychologists’ practices.

In Western countries, an increasing number of companies has difficulties with recruiting and retaining employees, along with growing employer responsibilities in the workplace. Therefore, companies’ interest in disability management programs has increased. This article examines employee perspectives of disability management and how it is related to job satisfaction, physical and mental health, workplace morale and sickness absence. Employees from seven Swiss companies (N=482), from the private and public sector, participated in either an online and paper-and-pencil survey for this present study. The survey asked employees to report their views of how disability management is related to job satisfaction, mental health, physical health, workplace morale and absenteeism. The Swiss employees participating in the study knew about disability management and related programs, which are implemented in their company. They valued them as moderately helpful for a variety of factors related to workplace wellbeing, and regarded the programs generally as high quality and wanted them to continue, because they contribute to job satisfaction, mental health, physical health, workplace morale and reduced sickness absence. However, employees also saw more value in disability prevention (DP) and stay at work (SAW) programs than in return to work (RTW) programs. Male employees and those working for public organisations saw more benefit in disability management programs than female employees and those working in the private sector.

The aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of female employees on long-term sickness absence due to common mental disorders (CMDs), in relation to what they perceive would best help them to return to work. Data were collected through a survey answered by employees at a municipality in Sweden on long-term sick leave. Results of the current study are based on a part of that material, namely from 56 women with CMDs who responded to the final open question. The analysis involves two steps. Initially, we explored themes that form the accounts in the findings. Secondly, based on the themes, collective narratives, storylines were identified. Three different storylines were found to be prominent in the findings. The storylines describe how the participants collectively expressed themselves in relation to the possibilities for return to work, and the following storylines were derived: It feels like too much, Things are moving too fast, and I have to get out of here!. The findings are related to perceived demands, control and support. From a disability management perspective, we have learned the importance of restoring the balance between demands, control and support — not only to prevent absence from work, but also to facilitate return to work after a period of long-term sickness.

A Canadian sample was collected as an aspect of a large international project, with representation from Australia, Canada, China, and Switzerland. In each country, interview and survey data were collected using team-created research tools. Canadian survey data on disability management (DM) perceptions were collected from 218 employees in both public and private organisations. Our Canadian employee sample reported perceived influence of disability prevention on job satisfaction, physical health, mental health, and morale for both themselves and their coworkers. Return to work programs were seen as valuable for job satisfaction of both the employee and coworkers, as well as the physical health of coworkers. Similarly, stay at work programs were seen as valuable for mental health and morale of coworkers. There was no relationship between perceived influence of DM interventions and reduction of sickness absence. The influence of DM was perceived as more positive for private and/or nonunionised workplaces. No gender differences were evident.

Although the concept of healthy workplaces has historical roots in the extant literature, it remains an elusive concept to define and apply in the workplace. Nonetheless, the literature does suggest that it is a challenging and continuously improving process of supporting, protecting and promoting the health of the employee. The aim of this study was to devise a user-friendly, climate-specific assessment tool to evaluate employees’ perceptions and knowledge of the practices and procedures in the workplace that prioritise the development of a healthy, supportive workplace. After extensive literature review and early stage pilot-testing of several independent sites within an organisation, a 31-item Likert-type scale — The Workplace Scale (WPS) — was brought forward to test its psychometric properties using an independent international sample that was gathered using email distribution. These initial distribution contacts were two of the author's professional colleagues and thereafter the scale was cascaded electronically to respondents in several countries. The factor analysis conducted on the data obtained from 108 respondents yielded a solid five factor solution that was consistent with earlier test administrations and revealed interpretable and distinct factors that strongly loaded on pertinent dimensions relevant to a healthy workplace. The tangible product is a user-friendly tool to baseline the development of a healthy, supportive workplace, while providing employees with an efficient upward communication mechanism to enable management to monitor progress. Devising the WPS was undertaken as part of wider study that subsequently compared the WPS against measures of climate, leadership and culture and is reported elsewhere.

In this article the need for employer-based disability management (DM) in a modern welfare state is discussed. The article is not a traditional research article, but rather a conceptual article with a purpose to discuss and reflect over existing perspectives, and argue for a stronger focus on welfare state issues in DM research. Focus is set on Sweden and it is concluded that much of the thought behind DM is indeed built into the comprehensive welfare system. In addition to the employer's responsibilities regarding ill-health prevention, the Acts and regulations of the governmental social insurance agency's responsibilities regarding return to work are comprehensive. As can be seen, however, this is no guarantee that the established process will work in practice. In too many cases, the system in Sweden is suffering from organisational and case-level related problems. Against this background, it is suggested that current responsibilities put on the social insurance agency can be removed and instead be put on the employer. The answer to the main question stated in this article (i.e., ‘Is employer-based DM necessary in a social-democratic welfare state like Sweden?’) is obviously yes.

Work-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions can help to reduce the duration and cost of work disability, and in turn, prevent the negative effects of long-term sickness absence. However, there are a number of complex cognitive, affective and behavioural factors that can impact an individual's confidence, motivation and willingness to RTW that need to be addressed to facilitate effective outcomes. This literature review investigates evidence for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for improving return-to-work (RTW) and employment outcomes. Whilst evidence for the efficacy of MI in clinical settings to motivate health behaviour change is strong, more research is needed to determine whether MI can be usefully applied to improve RTW and other work-related outcomes.

Many organisations strive to make disability management (DM) responses to prevent work disability and promote return-to-work (RTW). However, a deeper appreciation of methods that can ensure equitable worker participation in the development and change of RTW policy and practice is needed. Using an action research approach, this study expands the concept of participation in disability management (DM) creating new insights into the resources, dilemmas and aspirations of RTW policies in organisations. Empirical data was gathered from a development and change process conducted together with managers and workers at a large health care workplace. A series of workshops were conducted, studying the common history of RTW policy evolvement and configuration, and encouraging the creation of worker-driven proposals for alternative actions to current management. Action research protocols were used to document knowledge creation. Analysis of action research processes reveals how workers insisted on discussing their work environment as an important factor for maintenance of RTW, and how consistent participatory possibilities and team oriented RTW coordination among all levels of the organisation are perceived as critical features for supportive and sustained job retention. Participatory processes created relevant knowledge of the importance of work environments in coordination of stay at work, which may strengthen RTW capacity building and advance DM in organisations.

A common suggestion in the disability management research literature is that consultative relationships between disability manager specialists and key union personnel can significantly enhance disability management services provided in unionised workplaces. However, the findings of previous knowledge validation studies have indicated that a sizeable proportion of disability managers believe they are under-prepared to provide services in unionised environments. Plausibly, these findings could reflect the dearth of existing outcome studies that expressly describe characteristics associated with the successful provision of disability management services in unionised workplaces. As a first step towards addressing the aforementioned gap in the disability management research literature, the current study reports the results of a Delphi procedure designed to provide information regarding possible factors that impact disability management services provided in unionised workplaces. The goal of the study was to develop a preliminary survey that could be used in subsequent research studies that address disability management best practises. Four thematically classified domains were identified that included: (a) disability managers' and disability management client characteristics, (b) rate of union representatives' participation in disability management services, (c) disability management service characteristics in unionised environments, and (d) disability managers' attitudes regarding working with labour union representatives. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of rehabilitation counsellor education and development of empirically based disability management practice strategies.

Internalising disability management (DM) processes into an organisation needs careful planning and preparation particularly where the existing practice is to outsource DM services and supports to third-party providers. By using an action research methodology, the implementation process of an early intervention and rehabilitation pilot project in a large North American multisite health provider was tracked and monitored. An action researcher, who was the staff member responsible for line managing the DM pilot, kept an action research journal in which the actions taken, outcomes achieved, issues arising, insight gained and successful responses were regularly recorded over the initial phase of the pilot project. Organisational impact indicators for the pilot project were very positive. A content analysis of the action research journal revealed key components in a successful company DM program, the challenges faced when introducing a new program where pre-existing programs and policies exist, challenges arising from project implementation and mechanisms and strategies that worked well. The action research approach provided a useful insight into the day-to-day issues to be addressed when internalising DM into a large multisite organisation.

For many years Sweden has experienced high rates of sickness absence among employees. Sickness absence is often regarded as an indicator of health in a population, with low rates of absence associated with good health and high degrees of absence associated with poor health. The aim of this article is to examine this hypothesis — that the high rates of sickness absence in Sweden is an indicator of poor health. Sickness absence and health data was obtained from official government statistics in order to compare Sweden with six other European countries and a number of health-related variables. The hypothesis was not supported by the results of this study. While Sweden has a high rate of sickness absence, it ranks highly on a range of health variables when compared to other European countries. Instead, sickness absence may be more strongly associated with rates of unemployment. In times of high unemployment, sickness absence is low, and in times low unemployment, sickness absence is high. While public health programs are essential components of primary health care initiatives, the evidence from this study indicates that they are unlikely to have significant impact on sickness absence in Sweden. Instead more effort should be made to intervene early following sickness absence through providing timely vocational rehabilitation and disability management programs.

It is 20 years since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, yet employment and economic inequities continue for people with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to inform and encourage disability management leading practices to contribute toward reducing these disparities. The approach is an examination of where in the employment process applicants and incumbent employees perceive employment disability discrimination, leading to the filing of charges against an employer. Employment disability discrimination claims filed by individuals over 15 years (1993–2007) with the United States (US) Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or state and local Fair Employment Practice Agencies are studied. The authors analyse employment discrimination charges by year, basis (i.e., protected class characteristics, such as disability, age, or race), issue (i.e., actions of the employer, such as discharge, hiring, or harassment), employer characteristics (i.e, size of business and industry sector), and joint filings under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (gender, race/ethnicity, and religious discrimination) and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Special attention is paid to where in the employment process people with specific impairments are perceiving discrimination. Implications of these research findings for the practice and administration of disability management and employer policies are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to explore how employees perceive their organisation's efforts to address the management of stress in their workplaces and to examine differences based on demographic variables of organisational location and size. A convenience sample of 85 people at an international disability management conference completed a Management of Stress in the Workplace Questionnaire. Results of this survey indicated that employees were not positive about their organisations efforts to manage stress in either prevention or rehabilitation activities. Employees from smaller organisations rated their workplace environments more positively than larger organisations. A perceived high incidence of stress in an organisation was negatively related to perceptions about the work environment. Lower perceived levels of stress-related compensation claims were associated with higher ratings of prevention and higher workplace environment ratings. Effective disability management programs need to address a range of individual, organisational and system factors that cause and exacerbate stress injuries. In addition to the provision of a range of prevention and rehabilitation services, it is important that organisations look at ways to improve workplace culture and, by association, job satisfaction and workplace morale.

In Norway various welfare state authorities assist in disability management (DM) of long-term sick workers. This study provides empirical-based knowledge about the Norwegian DM process. The data are based on focus-group interviews with health care providers and case-workers in welfare state authorities. A key issue outlined in this article is that long-term sick workers can easily become ‘stuck’ in the rehabilitation system. The focus is on topics that can explain difficulties of re-employing long-term sick workers. Furthermore, we look at what challenges are typical for DM of these workers in Norway, with respect to re-employment issues.

Purpose: This research project aimed to explore the views and perspectives of family physicians in regards to fulfilling their role in disability management (DM) — specifically, to examine the discrepancies between physicians' practice in DM and their professional guidelines, with special attention to physicians' experience in collaborating with key stakeholders. Methods: Seven family physicians were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format (8 evidence-based questions and 2 case examples). Interviews were recorded and transcribed. A content analysis of the interview data was conducted in addition to a thematic review of participant responses. Results: Data revealed that in accordance with previous literature, physicians' practice does not typically emulate Canadian Medical Association policy, and the participant physicians described several barriers as the reason for this discrepancy. This study revealed a multitude of frustrations encountered by physicians when interacting with other parties in DM. Participant physicians also reported potential solutions to these frustrations and other related issues. Conclusion: This qualitative study yields valuable insight into barriers, as well as facilitating factors, for physicians in the fulfillment of their DM role. Some practical recommendations for the DM community are presented, while noting that more research should be conducted, including input from key DM stakeholders, to both gain further understanding of physicians' DM function, and to identify viable interventions aimed at optimising their role.