IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0300686.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Predictors of the return to work for pregnant employees on preventive leave: Patients from an occupational medicine consultation in Switzerland

Author

Listed:
  • Karine Moschetti
  • Loïc Brunner
  • Alessia Abderhalden-Zellweger
  • Isabelle Probst
  • Saira-Christine Renteria
  • Julien Vonlanthen
  • Peggy Krief

Abstract

According to the Swiss legislation on maternity protection in the workplace (OProMa), if pregnant workers are exposed to occupational hazards and no protective measures are taken, a gynecologist will prescribe a certificate of preventive leave and the women must stop working. Returning to work is only possible if job adjustments are made. This study aims to evaluate the burden of absences on companies and to examine the predictors of the return to work for pregnant workers on preventive leave, by examining both the probability of return to work and the time required to return to work. The study sample includes data on 258 workplaces of pregnant workers on preventive leave, collected during an occupational medicine consultation aimed at supporting the implementation of the OProMa. Information is available on the worker (age, date of consultation), the hazards to which she is exposed, the company’s knowledge of the OProMa and whether a risk analysis exists. Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression analysis are carried out. In 58% of the workplaces, it was not possible to return to work before the end of the pregnancy. This corresponds to an average absence of 4.5 months. In 42% of the workplaces, a return to work was possible thanks to workplace adaptations. A conforming risk analysis and a full knowledge of the OProMa for companies, and an early visit to the occupational medicine consultation for workers are good predictors of the likelihood of returning to work. Younger age and exposure to certain types of risks are factors that influence the duration of preventive leave. The implementation of OProMa in Switzerland poses serious challenges, but early identification of occupational hazards and practices that anticipate compliance with the law in the company increase the return to work in safety for pregnant workers.

Suggested Citation

  • Karine Moschetti & Loïc Brunner & Alessia Abderhalden-Zellweger & Isabelle Probst & Saira-Christine Renteria & Julien Vonlanthen & Peggy Krief, 2024. "Predictors of the return to work for pregnant employees on preventive leave: Patients from an occupational medicine consultation in Switzerland," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(3), pages 1-16, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0300686
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300686
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300686
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0300686&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0300686?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Argyro Avgoustaki & Hans T. W. Frankort, 2019. "Implications of Work Effort and Discretion for Employee Well-Being and Career-Related Outcomes: An Integrative Assessment," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(3), pages 636-661, May.
    2. Alessia Abderhalden-Zellweger & Isabelle Probst & Maria-Pia Politis Mercier & Brigitta Danuser & Pascal Wild & Peggy Krief, 2020. "Implementation of maternity protection legislation: Gynecologists’ perceptions and practices in French-speaking Switzerland," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(4), pages 1-18, April.
    3. Canaan, Serena & Lassen, Anne Sophie & Rosenbaum, Philip & Steingrimsdottir, Herdis, 2022. "Maternity Leave and Paternity Leave: Evidence on the Economic Impact of Legislative Changes in High Income Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 15129, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Houmark, Mikkel Aagaard & Jørgensen, Cecilie Marie Løchte & Kristiansen, Ida Lykke & Gensowski, Miriam, 2024. "Effects of extending paid parental leave on children’s socio-emotional skills and well-being in adolescence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    2. Glogowsky, Ulrich & Hansen, Emanuel & Sachs, Dominik & Lüthen, Holger, 2025. "The evolution of child-related gender inequality in Germany and the role of family policies, 1960–2018," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    3. Cecilia Machado & Valdemar Neto & Christiane Szerman, 2023. "Firm and Worker Responses to Extensions in Paid Maternity Leave," CESifo Working Paper Series 10736, CESifo.
    4. Francis Green & Alan Felstead & Duncan Gallie & Golo Henseke, 2022. "Working Still Harder," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(2), pages 458-487, March.
    5. Dohmen, Thomas & Shvartsman, Elena, 2023. "Overexertion of Effort under Working Time Autonomy and Feedback Provision," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1255-1266.
    6. Farré, Lídia & González, Libertad & Hupkau, Claudia & Ruiz-Valenzuela, Jenifer, 2024. "Paternity leave and child development," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 126799, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Machado, Cecilia & Neto, Valdemar & Szerman, Christiane, 2023. "Firm and Worker Responses to Extensions in Paid Maternity Leave," IZA Discussion Papers 16555, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Rapp, Thomas & Jena, Anupam B. & Costa-Font, Joan & Grabowski, David C., 2023. "Caregiving across generations: Do older adults with more grandchildren get another bite at the “sandwich” generation?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 334(C).
    9. Argyro Avgoustaki & Hans T. W. Frankort, 2023. "All work intensity is not created equal: Effort motives, job satisfaction and quit intentions at a grocery chain," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 869-894, December.
    10. Argyro Avgoustaki & Almudena Cañibano, 2020. "Motivational Drivers of Extensive Work Effort: Are Long Hours Always Detrimental to Well‐being?," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(3), pages 355-398, July.
    11. Joanna Clifton-Sprigg & Eleonora Fichera & Simona Bejenariu Tudor, 2023. "Maternity leave take-up in UK academia. Why are they hurrying back?," Department of Economics Working Papers 97/23, University of Bath, Department of Economics.
    12. Alessandra Casarico & Edoardo Di Porto & Joanna Kopinska & Salvatore Lattanzio, 2025. "Leave and Let Leave: Workplace Peer Effects in Fathers’ Take-up of Parental Leave," CESifo Working Paper Series 11795, CESifo.
    13. Esther Pagán-Castaño & Javier Sánchez-García & Fernando J. Garrigos-Simon & María Guijarro-García, 2021. "The Influence of Management on Teacher Well-Being and the Development of Sustainable Schools," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-23, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0300686. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.