Activating Sick-Listed Employees in Scandinavia: A Scoping Review

Abstract

High levels of sickness absence mirror patterns of poverty and social exclusion. Lowering sickness absence is therefore a critical mission for social and welfare policy in Scandinavia. To this end, there has been an «activation turn» aiming to reduce the number of sick pay claimants and move them into a position of financial self-sufficiency. The aim of this study is to arrive at a better understanding of the road from sick leave to work by synthesizing available evidence on activation as a strategy to reduce sickness absence in Scandinavia and identify avenues for future research. A scoping review was performed. Articles were identified via structured searching in databases and other relevant outlets, resulting in 814 citations. Upon removing duplicates, and screening titles, abstracts and keywords, 53 articles remained, for which full articles were acquired. The final sample consisted of 35 articles. The review identified five avenues for future research: (1) sickness presence in the relationship between activation and return to work; (2) the role of discretion in the implementation of welfare policies, as this may propel return to work but also jeopardize principles such as justice and equal treatment; (3) work environment factors and return to work and how business pressure may influence employers’ ability to welcome the sick-listed back; (4) selection into part-time sick leave, since this may propel recovery and return-to-work; (5) sick leave due to various disorders (besides musculoskeletal complaints) and return to work because a broader scope of ailments may increase employers’ workplace health literacy. Practical and policy implications are discussed.

Keywords

• activation policy
• return to work
• sickness absence
• labour force participation