The following guidelines are organized in two parts:

Part A, Basic Return-to-work Conditions, Principles and Guidelines, provides guidance on identification of the stakeholders, the legal basis of the programme and the need to refer to international good practice. Another aspect addressed is how to influence the system as a social security institution.

Social security institutions around the world are most often engaged in one of three broad scopes of activity, as a provider of:

The focus of the ISSA Guidelines on Return to Work and Reintegration is on persons who are on sick leave from work, either on a short-term or long-term basis, and who retain an attachment to a specific employer. The guidelines are applicable regardless of whether the reason for the sick leave absence is occupational or non-occupational.

International Social Security Association (ISSA) member organizations comprise a broad and diverse group of social security institutions, in both the occupational and non-occupational sectors, from most countries around the world.

Social security institutions around the world, whether they operate in the occupational or non-occupational sector, face an escalating combination of economic, social and demographic challenges which strain their continued financial viability and may jeopardize their ability to combat social insecurity.

The ISSA Guidelines for Social Security Administration were prepared by the ISSA General Secretariat with the ISSA technical commissions.

The ISSA Guidelines on the Promotion of Sustainable Employment were produced as a result of the close collaboration of the ISSA General Secretariat and the Technical Commission on Employment Policies and Unemployment Insurance.

The competent institutions support the mutual recognition of professional accreditations to facilitate the mobility of the labour force across countries.

The institution recommends and adopts innovative approaches to balance the need for adequate income security for the individual and the ability of the employer to adapt to a changing business environment.

The competent institutions are responsible for developing and supporting labour supply to facilitate reintegration into the labour market and to achieve the sustainable employability of the workforce in the long term.

Competent institutions promote the disclosure of work in order to reduce informality, avoid unfair competition and ensure that workers are covered by social security.