Navigating work and life- a qualitative exploration of managers' and employees' views of return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders

Lisa Holmlund; Helena Tinnerholm Ljungberg; Ute Bültmann; Elisabeth Björk Brämberg

doi:10.1186/s12889-024-17765-x

Navigating work and life- a qualitative exploration of managers' and employees' views of return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders

BMC Public Health. 2024 Feb 5;24(1):372. doi: 10.1186/s12889-024-17765-x.

Authors

Lisa Holmlund^{1

2}, Helena Tinnerholm Ljungberg³, Ute Bültmann⁴, Elisabeth Björk Brämberg^{3

5}

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Intervention and Implementation Research for Worker Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Box 210, Sweden. lisa.holmlund@ki.se.
² Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Occupational Therapy, Karolinska Institutet, Fack 23 200, SE-141 83, Stockholm, Huddinge, Sweden. lisa.holmlund@ki.se.
³ Institute of Environmental Medicine, Unit of Intervention and Implementation Research for Worker Health, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Box 210, Sweden.
⁴ Department of Health Sciences, Community and Occupational Medicine, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9700 RB, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ School of Public Health and Community Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Box 100, Sweden.

Abstract

Background: Incorporating multiple perspectives and contexts in knowledge mobilisation for return-to-work after sick leave due to common mental disorders can promote interprofessional and organisational strategies for facilitating the return-to-work process. This study aimed to explore the facilitators of and barriers to return-to-work after common mental disorders. This exploration considered the perspectives of employees and managers and the realms of work and private life.

Methods: A qualitative approach was used with data from 27 semi-structured telephone interviews. The strategic sample consisted of employees who returned to work after sick leave due to common mental disorders (n = 17) and managers responsible for their return-to-work process (n = 10). Thematic analysis conducted in a six-step process was used to generate themes in the interview data.

Results: The analysis generated three main themes with subthemes, illustrating experiences of barriers to and facilitators of return-to-work positioned in the employees' private and work contexts: (1) Getting along: managing personal difficulties in everyday life; (2) Belonging: experiencing social connectedness and support in work and private life; and (3) Organisational support: fostering a supportive work environment. The results contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the return-to-work process, including the challenges individuals face at work and in private life.

Conclusions: The study suggests that return-to-work after sick leave due to CMDs is a dynamic and ongoing process embedded in social, organisational, and societal environments. The results highlight avenues for an interprofessional approach and organisational learning to support employees and managers, including space for the employee to recover during the workday.

Trial registration: This study recruited employees from a two-armed cluster-randomised controlled trial evaluating a problem-solving intervention for reducing sick leave among employees sick-listed due to common mental disorders (reg. NCT3346395).

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03346395.

Keywords: Common mental disorders; Everyday life; Return-to-work; Work-family conflict; Work-home interference; Work-life balance.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Employment
Humans
Mental Disorders* / therapy
Return to Work*
Sick Leave
Workplace

Associated data

ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT03346395