INTRODUCTION: Co-workers can play an important role after a work-related injury. They can provide details about the circumstances of an accident, offer emotional support to the injured worker and help with job tasks upon a co-worker's return to work (RTW). Working with an injured co-worker, however, can also strain work relationships and increase workload. The purpose of this study was to determine the role that co-workers play after a work-related injury and during the RTW process in the unionized, electrical construction sector. METHODS: We conducted two focus groups with injured electricians and union representatives. We also interviewed co-workers who had worked with someone who had been injured in the course of employment. We examined the role that co-workers can play after a work-related injury and some of the factors facilitating and hindering co-worker support. RESULTS: The structure of work in the electrical sector-a focus on cost-cutting and competition, job insecurity, perceptions of "different camps" among co-workers, little modified work and poor formal communication-can impede co-worker support and contribute to making injured workers' experiences difficult. Management can play an important role in setting an example for how injured workers are regarded and treated. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should explore how workers can better be supported after a work-related injury and during the RTW process.
INTRODUCTION: Co-workers can play an important role after a work-related injury. They can provide details about the circumstances of an accident, offer emotional support to the injured worker and help with job tasks upon a co-worker's return to work (RTW). Working with an injured co-worker, however, can also strain work relationships and increase workload. The purpose of this study was to determine the role that co-workers play after a work-related injury and during the RTW process in the unionized, electrical construction sector. METHODS: We conducted two focus groups with injured electricians and union representatives. We also interviewed co-workers who had worked with someone who had been injured in the course of employment. We examined the role that co-workers can play after a work-related injury and some of the factors facilitating and hindering co-worker support. RESULTS: The structure of work in the electrical sector-a focus on cost-cutting and competition, job insecurity, perceptions of "different camps" among co-workers, little modified work and poor formal communication-can impede co-worker support and contribute to making injured workers' experiences difficult. Management can play an important role in setting an example for how injured workers are regarded and treated. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should explore how workers can better be supported after a work-related injury and during the RTW process.
Authors: William S Shaw; Vicki L Kristman; Kelly Williams-Whitt; Sophie Soklaridis; Yueng-Hsiang Huang; Pierre Côté; Patrick Loisel Journal: J Occup Rehabil Date: 2014-12
Authors: Patrizia Villotti; Andrea Gragnano; Christian Larivière; Alessia Negrini; Clermont E Dionne; Marc Corbière Journal: J Occup Rehabil Date: 2021-03
Authors: Jeanne M Sears; Beryl A Schulman; Deborah Fulton-Kehoe; Sheilah Hogg-Johnson Journal: Ann Work Expo Health Date: 2021-06-12 Impact factor: 2.779