Active engagement of managers in employee RTW and manager-employee relationship: managers' experiences of participating in a dialogue using the Demand and Ability Protocol

PurposeTo describe how managers of employees on sick-leave, due to chronic pain conditions, experience participating in a three-party meeting using the Demand and Ability Protocol (DAP) in the return-to-work process.Materials and methodsThis study is based on individual semi-structured interviews with 17 managers of employees with chronic pain. Interviews were conducted after participating in a three-party meeting including the employee, manager, and a representative from the rehabilitation team. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive approach.ResultsTwo main themes were identified - to converse with a clear structure and setup and to be involved in the employee's rehabilitation. The first theme describe experiences from the conversation, and the second theme reflected the managers' insights when being involved in the employee's rehabilitation. The themes comprise 11 sub-themes describing how the DAP conversation and the manager ' s involvement in the rehabilitation may influence the manager, the manager-employee relationship, and the organization.ConclusionsThis study show, from a manager's perspective, how having a dialogue with a clear structure and an active involvement in the employee's rehabilitation may be beneficial for the manager-employee relationship. Insights from participating in the DAP may also be beneficial for the organization.

Automated summary

This study aims to describe the experiences of managers in the return-to-work process using the Demand and Ability Protocol by participating in a three-party meeting. The findings reveal that having a structured dialogue and active involvement in the employee's rehabilitation can improve the manager-employee relationship and benefit the organization.