Purpose: To describe how managers of employees on sick-leave, due to chronic pain conditions, experience participating in a three-party meeting using the Demand and Ability Protocol (DAP) in the return-to-work process.

Materials and methods: This study is based on individual semi-structured interviews with 17 managers of employees with chronic pain. Interviews were conducted after participating in a three-party meeting including the employee, manager, and a representative from the rehabilitation team. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis with an inductive approach.

Results: Two main themes were identified–“to converse with a clear structure and setup” and “to be involved in the employee’s rehabilitation.” The first theme describe experiences from the conversation, and the second theme reflected the managers’ insights when being involved in the employee’s rehabilitation. The themes comprise 11 sub-themes describing how the DAP conversation and the manager′s involvement in the rehabilitation may influence the manager, the manager-employee relationship, and the organization.

Conclusions: This study show, from a manager's perspective, how having a dialogue with a clear structure and an active involvement in the employee’s rehabilitation may be beneficial for the manager-employee relationship. Insights from participating in the DAP may also be beneficial for the organization.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

* A structured dialogue between the employee, employer, and rehabilitation supports the return to work (RTW) process

* A structured dialogue and collaboration may strengthen the relationship between the manager and employee

* An active engagement of managers in the employeès RTW process is beneficial for the manager-employee relationship, and for the organisation

* Healthcare professionals should collaborate with the workplace to promote participation of managers. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.