Factors influencing employers' support for employees with acquired brain injuries or mental illness to return to- and stay in work: A qualitative systematic review.
Kristelle Craven, Blanca De Dios Pérez, Jain Holmes and 2 others
PMID 38217562WHAT IT FOUND
Employers struggle to support staff returning from brain injury or mental illness because they lack knowledge, fear burdening colleagues, and face poor communication from health services.
Disclosure of the condition and clear advice from clinicians were key to making support work.
Key findings
01Employers frequently lacked the knowledge to understand how brain injuries or mental illness affected work ability, leading to misinterpretations of behaviour and inadequate support.
02Work accommodations were often restricted by concerns about the impact on colleagues, such as increased workload or perceived unfairness, rather than the employee's needs alone.
03Communication barriers between health professionals and employers, including confidentiality restrictions and insufficient information, hindered the return-to-work process.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
No studies included employers of individuals with both ABI and co-morbid mental illness, so findings apply only to these conditions in isolation. The review included studies from diverse countries with different healthcare and social insurance systems, which may limit the transferability of findings to other contexts. Only one reviewer screened titles and abstracts, and the first stage of thematic synthesis was completed by a single reviewer. Many included studies did not report on the cultural diversity or immigrant status of participants, so the influence of these factors on employer support is unknown.
Declared interests
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that employers are unwilling to support staff; the review indicates that a lack of knowledge and clear guidance from health professionals, rather than attitude, is a primary barrier to effective support.