Purpose There is an absence of evidence-based guidance to support workplace stakeholders in the effective delivery of return-to-work (RTW) messages. Our study examines the specific RTW communication practices and their impact on the management of work disability. Methods Within two large and complex healthcare organizations, semi-structured interviews were conducted with workplace stakeholders (e.g., supervisors, union representatives, disability management professionals and workers’ compensation representatives) and workers who had previously experienced sickness absence related to an occupational injury or illness. For workplace stakeholders interview questions asked about their roles and responsibilities in the RTW process, and specific communication strategies and messages that were used at different phases of the RTW process. For worker participants, interview questions explored RTW experiences and the impact of communication on work re-integration. An interpretative descriptive approach was used to inductively examine themes from interviews to create ways of understanding phenomena that yielded applied findings. Results Forty participants were interviewed including workplace stakeholders and workers. Participants frequently described effective RTW communication as messages that were delivered by a workplace stakeholder that included the content required by an injured worker to navigate the organizational disability management process and utilized specific strategies to address the perceived attitudes and perceptions held by an injured worker regarding work re-integration. Workplace stakeholders described five specific communication strategies including relaying messages of support, optimizing the timing of communication, careful word choice, framing messages, and tailoring communication to the injured worker.  Conclusion RTW communication is an active process that requires a strategic approach. Effective communication practices represent an important strategy for workplace stakeholders to address the barriers held by injured workers and foster early and sustained RTW.

目的缺乏循证指南来支持工作场所利益相关者有效传递重返工作岗位 (RTW) 信息。我们的研究考察了具体的 RTW 沟通实践及其对工作残疾管理的影响。方法在两个大型复杂的医疗保健组织中，对工作场所利益相关者（例如，主管、工会代表、残疾管理专业人员和工人赔偿代表）和以前因工伤或疾病而缺勤的工人进行了半结构化访谈。对于工作场所利益相关者，面试问题询问他们在 RTW 过程中的角色和职责，以及在 RTW 过程的不同阶段使用的特定沟通策略和信息。对于工人参与者，访谈问题探讨了 RTW 经历以及沟通对重新融入工作的影响。结果包括工作场所利益相关者和工人在内的 40 名参与者接受了采访。参与者经常将有效的 RTW 沟通描述为由工作场所利益相关者传递的信息，其中包括受伤工人在组织残疾管理过程中所需的内容，并利用特定策略来解决受伤工人对工作的看法和看法。 -一体化。工作场所利益相关者描述了五种具体的沟通策略，包括传递支持信息、优化沟通时间、谨慎用词、构建信息以及为受伤工人量身定制沟通方式。 结论RTW 通信是一个需要战略方法的主动过程。有效的沟通实践代表了工作场所利益相关者解决受伤工人面临的障碍并促进早期和持续的 RTW 的重要策略。