Who’s joining in?

Occupational physicians and insurance physicians are trying to contribute to an optimal labour participation in the Netherlands. They receive content support for their practice from researchers. In this issue of TBV, Sandra Brouwer and colleagues from the University Medical Center Groningen department of Health Sciences present the participation model as the counterpart of the compensation model. A return to work is healthier than a dependence on benefits. Of course the authors realize that suitable work has to be available. In order to be able to assess the work ability of a sick employee, it is not just the person, but also (his interaction with) factors in his environment that need to be considered. The quality of work is a determining factor for the chance of a positive reintegration. For example: how strenuous are the demands of the job actually? Or, as Allard van der Beek and colleagues of the VU medical center, Amsterdam and the Coronel Institute wonder: Is the manager given enough latitude by the organization to pursue his own custom-made policy or is he thwarted by strict production norms or an inflexible work organization? Is the work organization’s policy actually focussed on the employability of people with a disability? …