How can social insurers promote return to work in occupational rehabilitation? A quantitative, cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Earlier studies indicate a correlation between disability claims experience and return to work outcomes. Thus, the insurer’s role and actions may affect the self-rated health of the disabled worker and the outcomes of occupational rehabilitation. This study diversifies the existing empirical evidence on the role of the insurer in the rehabilitation process and reveals the critical actions that best promote success. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Explorative factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), followed by binary regression, were used to analyse survey data of disabled workers (n = 661) who had undergone an occupational rehabilitation within an earnings-related pension insurance system in Finland. RESULTS: The claimant’s perceptions of the insurer’s (1) high-quality informing and guidance, (2) customer orientation, (3) smooth process flow and (4) positive service attitude had substantial and statistically significant effects on the success of occupational rehabilitation after adjusting for all likely confounding variables. CONCLUSIONS: The insurer’s actions are significant predictors of the outcome of occupational rehabilitation. The insurer can promote the health of rehabilitees most effectively by ensuring a smooth process flow and adopting a customer-oriented approach. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-11758-w.