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BACKGROUND: The South African Labour Relations Act, specifically the Code of Good Practice (CGP) advocates against the discrimination and unfair dismissal of individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace. However, little is known about the implementation of these national policies within the workplace, especially from the perspective of the employer rather than the employee. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and perceptions of how human resource practitioners accommodate and support individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace. METHOD: Eleven participants (Human Resource Professionals) participated in the study. The researchers utilized semi-structured interviews where the data was analysed by means of thematic analysis to formulate themes. RESULTS: Three themes emerged depicting the participants' experiences and perceptions of barriers and facilitators which influenced their return to work: The themes that emerged through thematic analysis consisted of 1) Challenges perceived by Human Resource personnel that influences work participation; 2) The influence that workplace accommodations and support structures have on the work participation; 3) The prevalence of policies and laws that are available in theworkplace. CONCLUSION: The study highlighted that Human Resource Professionals struggle to interpret and implement labor related polices that aid in employing individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace. It is important to implement strategies that will assist Human Resource practitioners in understanding how to implement such policies to successfully accommodate individuals with mental health conditions in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Statistics indicate a high prevalence of TBI in South Africa, with many individuals with TBI not returning to work. The lack of return to work among TBI survivors is particularly due to factors such as injury severity, preinjury educational and occupational status, and age at injury. However, in addition to the above factors, there was the COVID‐19 pandemic, which resulted in the de‐escalation of nonessential outpatient services in order to assist with curbing the spread of the virus. Objective: The aim of the article is to explore the experiences and perceptions of TBI survivors about accessing vocational rehabilitation during the COVID‐19 pandemic and how this has affected their worker roles. Method: A descriptive, explorative qualitative research design was used, and semistructured interviews were conducted to collect data. The authors subsequently analysed the transcribed data using a thematic analysis approach. The COREQ (consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research) checklist was used as a reporting guideline. Ten TBI survivors and two individuals working in the public health sector participated in this study. Two semistructured interviews were conducted with each research participant. Results: Three themes emanated from the study, namely, Theme 1: "The barriers to accessing rehabilitation during the COVID‐19 pandemic" represents the participants' barriers to accessing rehabilitation programmes throughout the COVID‐19 pandemic. Theme 2: "Lack of rehabilitation negatively influenced the individual with TBI occupational performance" describes how the lack of OT rehabilitation during the COVID‐19 pandemic impacted the participants' quality of life. Theme 3: "Factors that facilitated access to rehabilitation during the COVID‐19 pandemic" describes the factors that facilitated access to OT rehabilitation services during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Conclusion: The study found that there were barriers and facilitators to accessing occupational therapy rehabilitation during the COVID‐19 pandemic for TBI survivors. More research needs to be conducted to explore the efficacy of telehealth/telemedicine for occupational therapy rehabilitation and the role of the occupational therapist in global pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Individuals diagnosed with stroke have a poor return to work rate, particularly in rural communities. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to describe the experiences and perceptions of individuals diagnosed with stroke about the usefulness of the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy (MOOSE) in assisting them in returning to their worker role. METHODS: The study utilized an explorative, descriptive, qualitative research design, furthermore the data was analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in three themes. Seven stroke survivors and one key informant participated in the study. RESULTS: Theme one: Obstacles that affect the return to work of stroke survivors in a rural community. Theme two: Re-establishing a strong belief in functional ability through participation in occupation. Finally, theme three: The MOOSE enables transition to the worker role in a rural context. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the MOOSE is a useful model in facilitating the return to work of individuals diagnosed with a stroke. The participants struggled to return to work not only due to their loss of abilities but also their lack of knowledge with regard to how to return to work and their diagnosis of a stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is an important public health problem. Individuals with ABI experience greater challenges with community reintegration and successful return to work (RTW) due to both personal and environmental factors. Empirical evidence has shown that women with brain injury are vulnerable to poorer functional outcomes and have demonstrated lower RTW rates post-injury. Therefore, further research is needed to gain greater insight on women with acquired brain injury's functional and work abilities as well as their experiences of RTW and entrepreneurial skills development. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore and describe women with acquired brain injury's experiences during their rehabilitation process, their resumption of their worker role, and entrepreneurial skills development. This qualitative exploration formed part of a study that resulted in an occupational therapy practice model to enhance the entrepreneurial skills of women with acquired brain injury living in the Cape Metropolitan, Western Cape, South Africa. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten females with acquired brain injury. A qualitative approach was employed to thematically analyse the data. RESULTS: Three themes emerged from the study: (1) Barriers within the rehabilitation process, 2) ABI causes loss of a sense of self and financial strain, 3) Entrepreneurship and education as a strategy to empowerment. CONCLUSION: Unmet individual needs related to occupational engagement results in RTW challenges for women with ABI. ABI sequelae cause activity limitations and hinder gainful occupational participation. A holistic client-centred entrepreneurial skills development approach is a viable and needed strategy to facilitate economic empowerment for women with ABI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Evidence suggests that supported employment strategies improve the rates of employment for individuals with schizophrenia. The Model of Occupational Self-Efficacy (MOOSE) is such a strategy aimed at enhancing work skills and facilitating return to work (RTW). The aim of the current study was to explore the experiences of individuals with schizophrenia about the use of the MOOSE in enhancing work skills and facilitating RTW in the open labour market. Method: A qualitative research project with an interpretivist paradigm explored the experiences and perceptions of nine participants diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Two occupational therapists participated as key informants. Data were collected by means of semistructured interviews and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Results: Barriers and facilitators to the use of the MOOSE were revealed. More importantly, the MOOSE enhanced the development of worker identities and contributed to the successful adaptation of worker roles in the RTW process of individuals with schizophrenia in the open labour market. Conclusion: The MOOSE is an effective supported employment strategy for persons with schizophrenia. Factors such as client-centred practice, the presence of social support, and ongoing therapeutic support contributed to the participants' successful RTW experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to elicit perceptions and experiences of facilitators and barriers that affected individuals who received back rehabilitation and their ability to resume their worker roles. Qualitative research methods were used in order to explore the research question. Participants were selected by means of simple random sampling and the data were collected by means of semi-structured focus groups. Some factors that were seen as facilitatory in maintaining the worker role of an individual who received back rehabilitation included injury management strategies, a positive work culture and having meaningful/satisfactory work experiences. Factors or barriers that prevented individuals from resuming their worker roles included physical and psychosocial stressors of the job, a lack of education by the employer and inadequate workplace policy. The results indicated that occupational therapists need to reassess their role within the wider context of the helping professions where they should become more involved in on-the-job evaluations, work placements and training of individuals who received back rehabilitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Persons with mild and moderate intellectual disability (MMID) have the right to participate in all aspects of society and be afforded equal opportunities to realise their full potential. However, it is a challenge for persons with MMID to find and maintain employment due to many different barriers. Currently, there is no contextually relevant framework in South Africa that considers the unique employment support needs and accommodation of persons with MMID, which can guide and inform the transition to employment interventions, strategies and national policy directives., Methods and Analysis: The proposed scoping review will be guided by the methodological framework developed by a working group from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and the JBI Collaboration. The search for relevant studies will be conducted across 12 research databases. Reference mining of review studies will be conducted. A three-step search strategy will be used, including the use of information management software to manage the search results. Three independent reviewers will screen the full-text studies to finalise the list of included and excluded studies. Included studies will be assessed for methodological quality using a critical appraisal tool. Data will be charted by one independent reviewer and assessed by two independent reviewers, using a data charting instrument. The data chart will be presented using tables and charts describing the demographic features of the reviewed studies, with an explanation of the thematically analysed results., Ethics and Dissemination: This scoping review has received ethical approval (BM22/10/11). A summary of the findings of the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. This scoping review will contribute to a better understanding of the key characteristics or factors underpinning the components of a multilevel transition to employment framework that will result in open labour market employment for persons with MMID., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)