The economic cost of return to work: An employer's perspective

Background Although return-to-work (RTW) interventions have been shown to be cost-effective, most previous economic analyses have focused on the insurer's perspective. Employers can also incur costs when supporting the RTW of their employees. Objective To identify a key set of items for estimating the costs of RTW interventions from the employer's perspective, and to identify and value the costs and consequences of a RTW intervention. Participants Employers with knowledge of the economic costs of RTW. Methods A survey of 10 workplaces with RTW programs was conducted. The survey consisted of semi-structured interviews with a human resources or occupational health and safety representative from each enrolled workplace. Results The interviews were reviewed and from them key items were identified for estimating the costs of RTW interventions from the employer's perspective. Employers identified the following costs: medical, equipment, training and education, wage replacement and productivity, and claims administration when assisting an employee's RTW. Conclusions Even in a jurisdiction with workers' compensation insurance, employers incur costs associated with RTW programs. It is important to consider these costs, from the perspective of the employer, when studying the cost-effectiveness of RTW interventions or programs.