[Return-to-work strategies in Statoil Forpleining].

Background: Since 1997, the catering department at Statoil, a Norwegian oil company, has worked systematically in order to facilitate employees' ability to avoid sick leaves and return to work after illness, and to improve their ability to cope with the challenges entailed in their work.

Material And Methods: All employees in the catering department were sent a questionnaire about how they felt about their working environment. Sick leave data from Statoil and from Statistic Norway were collected.

Results: From 1997, sick leaves in catering have declined by 8%. 60% of employees and 90% of managers say that the physical as well as the psychosocial working environments have improved because of the programme described in this article.

Interpretation: Better support from co-workers and supervisors has created a more positive culture in the workplace.