The attitudes and behaviors of colleagues towards people returning to work from sick leave can have a big impact on whether or not a worker feels they are fairly treated by their organization. According to a new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Stockholm University, there is a clear link between a person’s health and their perceptions of fairness at work over time. The most significant factor in that link is the amount of support a worker feels he or she gets from colleagues. The research, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, could have implications for how managers help employees return to work following a period of absence, or how they support those struggling to manage long-term health issues while at work.

According to the study, organizations should make sure they have well-designed routines for workers with health problems. However, organizations also need to take into consideration the wider work environment to ensure colleagues can offer social support while the individual settles back into work. The research team, led by UEA’s Norwich Business School, used data from a large-scale population survey that has been carried out in Sweden every two years since 2006. Their results showed a clear pattern: among 3,200 respondents, all in paid employment, there was an association between three health indicators – self-rated health, depressive symptoms and sickness absence – and social support at work over time. In turn, social support was also strongly linked to perceptions of fairness in decision-making at work over time.