How do Danish workplaces handle work-related sickness?

Experiences from employees with mental disorders, low back pain or skin disease

Abstract

Mental health and musculoskeletal disorders constitute the largest health and safety challenges at the Danish labour market. An increasing number of employ - ees are notified with these occupational diseases in the Danish Workers Compensation System. The primary objective of this study is to examine the nature of workplace disability management practices, when an employee is sick listed due to work-related disease. Secondary objectives are to analyze stakeholder roles and engagement at the workplace and to examine possible differences in relation to the type of disease. The experiences of employees with notified occupational mental disorders (N=436), low back pain (N=202) and skin diseases (N=132) are compared. The results indicate that employer efforts and preventive actions to accommodate the sick employees varied. Some employers applied accommodations at the individual level, but there appeared to be a lack of changes at workplace level, even though the disease was caused by the working conditions. Employees with work-related mental disorders perceived top management, line managers and the occupational health and safety representative more negative, and the union more positively than employees with low back pain or skin diseases. However, in most cases the occupational health and safety representative and the union representative were not directly involved in the process. Additionally, it seems that the work environmental authority seldom inspected the workplaces, even though an occupational disease was notified. 35,1 % of the employees experienced that they resumed work too early, and 2-4 years after the disease was reported, 39,2 % of employees with mental disorders and 47,5 % with low back pain were unem - ployed. The findings point to challenges in workplace disability management practices and regulation at the Danish labor market, stressing the need for renewed policy attention that brings all stakeholders to the table.