Paths of reentry: Employment experiences of injured workers

Background An injury at work can result in a change in jobs or employers, u nemployment, or withdrawal from the labor force. Substantial life changes c an occur often mediated by the initial attempt to return to employment. Methods This study uses ethnographic interviews of 204 workers injured in F lorida. Results The study describes three paths to reemployment taken by the injure d workers. The "welcome back" path provides workers with a sense of being v alued by their preinjury employers. This positive effect remains, even for those who are unable to continue working because of limitations imposed by their injuries. Other paths cause workers to feel undervalued as discarded or damaged goods, and generate hostility and resentment. Females in all gro ups are less likely to be currently working. White males were more likely t han other groups to be employed in skilled jobs and are also the most likel y to return to light-duty jabs and to remain in their preinjury jobs over t ime. Conclusions Half of the workers in this study experience employer indiffere nce or hostility in response to their attempts to return to work after an o ccupational back injury After injury, there are both commonalities and mean ingful disparities in post-injury experiences of White, Black, and Hispanic male and female workers. (C) 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.