The development and utility of an interactive assessment protocol for evaluating company based responses in managing employees on long-term absence

This paper presents the results of Phase 3 of The RETURN Project, a European Study which aimed to reduce long term absenteeism in the workplace. Phases 1 and 2 have been described in detail elsewhere. The Study adopted an iterative approach that explored LTA from three different perspectives: the System, the Expert, and the Employer. This paper describes how the outputs of both the System and the Expert phases in combination with other tools focused on Disability Management (DM) were used to generate an interactive multi-jurisdictional assessment protocol tool for evaluating company based responses in managing employees on long term absence. The RETURN Protocol was field tested in different regulatory contexts using a company case approach. Results of the field test carried out in six European comopanies are presented and the future and appropriate use of the protocol tool is discussed.