Enabling Sustainable Return-to-Work and Reintegration After Illness and Chronic Conditions

Population aging represents one of the major challenges for occupational and healthcare systems in industrialized countries. The increase in retirement age, together with demographic changes and the progressive extension of working life, has led to a growing proportion of older workers within the labor market. At the same time, the rising average age of the workforce is associated with a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, multimorbidity, and health conditions that may result in prolonged sickness absence.Returning to work after illness or while living with a chronic condition is a significant focus within organizational psychology, as it represents a complex and multifaceted transition for both employees and their organizations. Work reintegration should not be considered solely as the recovery of productive capacity, but rather as a complex and multidimensional process influenced by clinical, psychological, organizational, and social factors.The process is rarely linear; affected individuals may need to navigate fluctuating symptoms, ongoing treatment side effects, episodic flare-ups, fatigue, pain, and changes in self-perception, alongside workplace expectations. At the same time, organizations grapple with balancing team productivity, fairness in workload distribution, and the effective management of resources to ensure both operational continuity and employee well-being. Despite increasing recognition of these intricacies, research gaps persist in understanding how specific organizational practices, leadership behaviors, team dynamics, and work design strategies can enable truly sustainable reintegration and ongoing work participation. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of supportive leadership, inclusive team climates, and flexible job design, but there remain ongoing debates about which interventions are most effective across diverse health conditions, job types, and work arrangements. Notably, questions linger regarding how structured gradual return-to-work programs, workplace accommodations, and multidisciplinary interventions may facilitate a sustainable return to work and reduce the stigma surrounding illness-related absences and chronic health-related work limitationsThis Research Topic aims to advance knowledge by identifying, evaluating, and synthesizing the organizational and psychological factors and mechanisms that foster sustainable and equitable return-to-work (RTW) experiences as well as successful work retention and reintegration for employees managing chronic conditions. The focus is on understanding the interplay between psychosocial factors, organizational policies, job design, and team processes that support both employee reintegration and overall workplace effectiveness. The objectives are multifaceted: to uncover which organizational factors predict successful RTW and sustainable employability, clarify the psychological and social mechanisms underpinning reintegration, examine differences across types of illnesses and chronic conditions and work contexts, and provide actionable guidance for organizational leaders, HR professionals, and policymakers. Through this lens, the Research Topic also seeks to explore interventions that balance performance with well-being, promoting healthy, inclusive, and resilient workplaces.The boundaries of this Research Topic are defined by its organizational psychology lens, prioritizing research on workplace mechanisms rather than clinical outcomes, and examining RTW across a spectrum of conditions with fluctuating or persistent impacts, including chronic conditions (e.g., long-term, recurrent, or progressive health conditions). Articles should focus on the workplace context, targeting factors that shape reintegration processes and outcomes over time, including situations where employees return gradually, cycle in and out of work, or remain at work while managing ongoing symptoms. To gather further insights, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:· Leadership, communication, and supervisor support during RTW transitions and ongoing chronic-condition management at work· Psychological support and trauma-informed practices to reduce distress and support well-being during RTW (e.g., EAPs, mental health literacy, peer support, and psychologically safe communication and disclosure)· Job design, flexible accommodations, and autonomy in work processes (including sustainable adjustments for long-term conditions)· Team dynamics, coworker relations, organizational climate, and inclusion (including stigma reduction related to chronic conditions and invisible illnesses)· Work ability, identity transformation, and sustainable employability post-illness and with chronic conditions· System-level and inequality-related factors influencing RTW across organizational types and demographic groups (including differential access to accommodations and flexibility)We invite empirical studies using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods (including longitudinal, diary, multilevel, and intervention designs), systematic reviews, meta-analyses, conceptual analyses, and theory papers that clearly frame workplace issues through an organizational psychology perspective. Topic editors: Stefania Fantinelli, Elena Fiabane, Andrea Gragnano Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78503/enabling-sustainable-return-to-work-and-reintegration-after-illness-and-chronic-conditions