Previous research has shown that having a supervisor who
is task oriented and does not consult workers for decisions may
have a negative impact on the RTW process, especially for
workers who have moderate to high competence with variable
commitment [16]. For instance, Baril et al. [25] interviewed
employees and supervisors from three Canadian provinces to
explore perceptions related to successful RTW programs for
workers with musculoskeletal injuries. They found that
supervisors who are task-oriented with a large amount of
responsibility view workers in the RTW process as a burdenpoor communication and were independent in their decisionmaking
as detrimental to the RTW process. In addition,
organizational obstacles, high production demands, and a lack
of occupational health knowledge often caused supervisors to
not respect job accommodation measures prescribed by physicians
and occupational health and safety officers [25]. A
study of workers from the New York Metropolitan area using
in-depth interviews to determine supervisor responses to
disability and workplace accommodation found that positive
RTW adjustment is associated with the extent to which
workers participate in decision-making and engage in proper
communication with their supervisor [14]. Additionally, the
study also found that the most important factor affecting a
positive RTW adjustment is supervisor behavior.
on productivity [25]. Workers viewed supervisors who had