Absence and return to work: towards a research agenda

Notes that the present human resource literature on absence pays relatively little attention to the management of genuine injury and illness. Seeks to partially address this lacuna in the literature through the findings of an exploratory study of the arrangements used to facilitate the return to work of ill and injured employees in 77 organisations. Finds that larger organisations and those which recognised trade unions offered the most extensive range of assistance to workers. Also finds the presence of return to work policies to be associated with favourable trends in absence. Suggests that the impact of return to work activities on absence merits further study and goes on to identify issues that should be addressed in future research.