Understanding the process of return-to-work is key to supporting people's social participation and health after a disability. This phenomenographic study aimed to explore the expectations and ways of understanding return-to-work from the perspectives of three stakeholder types: three workers with spinal cord injuries, their employers, and an occupational therapist coordinator. Participants were interviewed twice, at 6 and 12 months, after having participated in a research-based return-to-work intervention in Sweden. A phenomenographic approach was used to analyze the data. The findings highlight how stakeholders' different expectations prevented them from openly discussing more flexible arrangements to make return-to-work viable and sustainable. The study contributes to occupational therapy practice by raising awareness of the challenges of work reintegration. It also adds to the body of knowledge in occupational science by illuminating how normative social expectations and policy concerning work/productivity influence the return-to-work process.
Keywords: occupational science; return to work; spinal cord injury.