e-Campus - Work Wellness Institute

Depression is one of the leading causes of psychological disability in the workplace, and employees diagnosed with depression may need specific work accommodations to facilitate their return to work (RTW). The immediate supervisor can play an important role in the implementation of these accommodations. This presentation concerns the main results of a study carried out in Canada to determine the supervisor’s contributions during the different phases of the return-to-work process (before and during the sick-leave absence, and during the RTW preparations) of employees diagnosed with depression. Moreover, Dr. Negrini will present the work accommodations most frequently implemented to facilitate the RTW of these employees.

You will learn: 

• To better understand the supervisor contributions to the return to work (RTW) of employees on sick leave due to depression, following a temporal perspective: before and during the sick-leave absence, and during the RTW preparations.
• That pressuring the employees to RTW as soon as their mental health has improved decreases their likelihood of returning to work compared to employees not subject to their supervisor's pressure.
• The factors facilitating the RTW of people diagnosed with depression from the supervisor's perspective, such as having a good relationship prior to the sick leave, having regular contacts with the employee during the sick leave, and implementing work accommodations at the time of the RTW.

Take-home messages:

• Depression is a widespread problem that generates enormous human and financial costs.
• Immediate supervisors play a key role in implementing specific work accommodations to facilitate the return to work of employees on sick leave due to depression.
• Immediate supervisors have a key part to play in providing a work environment conducive to the prevention of mental health disorders and absenteeism and to the promotion of employees' mental health and job performance.