Common themes, different perspectives: A systemic analysis of employer-employee experiences of occupational rehabilitation

Workers with injuries and their employers were interviewed using a semistructured protocol to elicit their perceptions about their own and each other's behavior and that of other stakeholders in the process of occupational rehabilitation. Four common themes emerged from the interviews. Whereas workers with injuries focused on the perceived failure of the system to provide adequate care, employers were concerned with issues of cost containment and productivity. A process of triangulation of stakeholders occurs that results in polarization of the primary employer-employee dyad. Changes to the current system are recommended, including specific educational campaigns targeting employers and the training and accreditation of rehabilitation coordinators.