title: Supervisor and Organizational Factors Associated with Supervisor Support of Job Accommodations for Low Back Injured Workers.
abstract: Purpose Temporary job accommodations contribute to the prevention of chronic work disability due to low back pain (LBP) through the facilitation of early return to work; yet, workplace dimensions of job accommodation are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine supervisor and organizational factors associated with supervisors' support for temporary job accommodations for LBP injured workers. Methods Supervisors were recruited from 19 workplaces in the USA and Canada and completed an online survey regarding job accommodation practices and potential associated factors with respect to a case vignette of a worker with LBP. Multivariable linear regression was used to identify the most parsimonious set of factors associated with supervisors' support for accommodations. Results A total of 804 supervisors participated with 796 eligible for inclusion in the analysis. The final set of factors explained 21 % of the variance in supervisors' support for temporary job accommodations. Considerate leadership style (β = 0.261; 95 % CI 0.212, 0.310), workplace disability management policies and practices (β = 0.243; 95 % CI 0.188, 0.298), and supervisor autonomy for designing and providing workplace accommodations (β = 0.156; 95 % CI 0.071, 0.241) had the largest effect on supervisor support for accommodations. Conclusion Factors predicting supervisors' likelihood to accommodate LBP injured workers include use of considerate leadership style, workplace disability management policies and practices, and supervisor autonomy. Workplace interventions targeting these factors should be developed and evaluated for their ability to improve work disability prevention outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada. vkristman@lakeheadu.ca.|Institute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada. vkristman@lakeheadu.ca.|Division of Human Sciences, Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON, Canada. vkristman@lakeheadu.ca.|Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada. vkristman@lakeheadu.ca.
authors.forename: Vicki L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Kristman
authors.affiliation: Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, MA, USA.|University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
authors.forename: William S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reguly
authors.affiliation: University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams-Whitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lakehead University, 955 Oliver Road, Thunder Bay, ON, P7B 5E1, Canada.|Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.|Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Soklaridis
authors.affiliation: Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Loisel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014481:United States; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Disability management; Job accommodation; Predictors; Return to work; Supervisor