Let’s talk about easing an employee’s return to work after recovering from a workers’ compensation injury or illness.
Rehabilitation programs help employees regain strength or learn to function with a disability. Therapy teaches employees ways to work without reinjury or repeat illness—for example, proper lifting techniques or stress management techniques.
Medical professionals will determine when an employee can return to work. Employers will consult with the employee’s doctor to find out whether the employee can return to regular duties or whether a light- or alternate-duty job is necessary for a while before the employee can take up regular job duties again.
Need a more effective return-to-work (RTW) program? Learn how to build and manage a successful RTW program at BLR’s interactive webinar, “Return to Work,” on Thursday, October 10. Get details here.
One of the most important ways to ease a recovering employee’s return to work is by assigning appropriate alternate- or light-duty work. This kind of work:
- Is a transitional phase for a worker recovering from a job-related injury or illness. It is a way to ease the employee back into work routines without causing further harm.
- Gives the employee the chance to make a meaningful and productive contribution during the transitional phase.
- Helps bridge the gap for the employee between being out of work and resuming regular job duties.
The employee’s physician will monitor performance during this period to prevent overtaxing, reinjury, or repeated illness. The physician will tell employers when the employee can go back to his or her regular job. When there is no appropriate alternate-duty job, the employee may be treated solely at an off-site rehabilitation center.
The information in today’s Advisor comes from BLR’s presentation, “Workers’ Compensation: What Employers Need to Know.”
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In tomorrow’s Advisor, we’ll go into more detail about alternate-duty work, and we tell you about an exciting and informative upcoming webinar on return-to-work issues.