Abstract
In Germany, employers are obliged to offer “operational integration management” (OIM) services to employees returning from long-term sick leave. OIM aims to improve employees’ workability and to prevent future sick leave or early retirement. This study examined (i) to what extent OIM services are offered to eligible employees, (ii) to what extent offers are accepted and (iii) the determinants of both outcomes. We used data from a cohort of employees eligible for OIM. Thirty-four potential determinants were assessed in 2013 (i.e., the baseline) using participant reports. In 2015 (i.e., the follow-up), participants were asked (a) whether they had ever been offered OIM services by their employer, and (b) whether they had accepted that offer (i.e., the outcomes). We estimated relative risks by multivariable binomial regression to identify predictors based on backward elimination. In total, 36.0% of the participants were offered OIM services and 77.2% of them accepted that offer. The likelihood of an OIM offer at follow-up was elevated in participants with mental impairment, cancer or long-term absenteeism and increased with organizational justice, neuroticism, and company size. The likelihood of accepting that OIM offer was positively associated with mental impairment and decreased with increasing company size.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2158 |
| Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-12 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| ISSN | 1661-7827 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 23.02.2021 |
Funding
This research was funded by the Federal German Pension Insurance Agency (grant assigned to M.B.). The funders were not involved in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, the writing of the report, nor the decision to submit the paper for publication. Involvement of the researchers at the University of D?sseldorf was partly funded by the Lieselotte und Karl Otto Winkler-Stiftung f?r Arbeitsmedizin (grant assigned to A.L. and P.A.). Funding: This research was funded by the Federal German Pension Insurance Agency (grant assigned to M.B.). The funders were not involved in the study design, the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, the writing of the report, nor the decision to submit the paper for publication. Involvement of the researchers at the University of Düsseldorf was partly funded by the Lieselotte und Karl Otto Winkler-Stiftung für Arbeitsmedizin (grant assigned to A.L. and P.A.).
Research Areas and Centers
- Research Area: Center for Population Medicine and Public Health (ZBV)
