Importance of return-to-work programs

• Your employee
• Your business’ production
• Your workers’ compensation premium, which could increase with frequent and high claims costs 

As costs continue to accelerate, your business is exposed to increasing workers’ claims costs with lost time, medical and legal costs. One proven cost-saving measure is the development and implementation of an effective return-to-work program.

A successful return-to-work program is an employer-implemented program designed to temporarily return injured employees to the workplace as soon as medically possible. Beneficial to both the injured employee and your company, a return-to-work program should be an important part of your business strategy.

Historically, return-to-work programs have been associated with returning employees from occupational injuries only. Every business can benefit from adopting a return-to-work program designed to help injured employees resume meaningful work as soon as they are medically able. Leading companies today are successfully integrating both occupational and non-occupational injuries into a comprehensive disability management strategy through such programs.

Return-to-work benefits

Return-to-work simply means helping your employee get back to work as soon as possible after an injury or illness to help reduce the impact on your operation.

For example, if a returning employee’s job requires the ability to lift 25 pounds, but the employee has a 10-pound lifting restriction, an effective return-to-work program would allow the employee to temporarily perform a different job or modify their current job to meet the restrictions.

The medical provider assigns restrictions that are medically safe for the injured employee to perform and it is the employer’s responsibility to find tasks within those temporary restrictions. Return-to-work programs are most successful when employers take a proactive role in establishing relationships with local medical providers and begin to develop a program before one is needed. This can be done by ensuring the medical provider understands the job demands of each role through a written job description and is aware of temporary light duty task availability.

Elements of a return-to-work program

Your company should develop a written return-to-work policy and procedures so that everyone understands what is expected. A return-to-work policy states your commitment to returning employees to work. Return-to-work procedures spell out each person’s responsibility in the process, including the return-to-work administrator, supervisors/managers and the employees. 

Communication is key to a successful return-to-work program. After an injury has occurred and the injured employee has received medical care, management should call or visit the injured worker within 24 hours. Communication helps reassure the employee that the company is sincerely concerned about his/her well-being. Inform the employee of his/her rights and responsibilities as an injured worker, answer any questions or concerns the employee may have and, when appropriate, explain the return-to-work process. Maintain frequent contact with the employee throughout the term of the injury or illness. 

It’s also important for you to discuss your return-to-work program with the medical provider. Unless you discuss restricted-duty options, the physician may assume there’s no alternative available. When restricted duty isn’t an option, statistics prove it often results in an extended period of doctor-approved disability. Provide the physician with the injured employee’s written job description, which should detail the physical demands of the employee’s regular job. Include a letter that notifies the physician of the availability of restricted duty assignments and indicate that your company can assist in the employee’s recovery.

Learn more about how to set up your own program when you download our "Sample return-to-work program".

Modified duty for injured employees

Modified duty allows an injured employee to return or remain at work, performing physically appropriate duties. Job modifications are developed and implemented based on the injured employee’s written temporary work restrictions provided by the authorized treatment provider. For the employer, this means:

• Comparing the employee’s written temporary work restrictions to the job requirements
• Deciding to what extent the job can be modified
• Identifying other modified-duty opportunities on a limited or full-time basis, using a list of light duty tasks developed in advance and ready for use

• Taking a positive approach and focusing on what employees can do, rather than tasks they can’t perform
• Assigning meaningful duties, allowing injured employees to maintain their dignity
• Revising current job descriptions to include only necessary tasks
• Assigning tasks that may have been put off because nobody had time to do them — tasks that are not currently being performed, or jobs that are being done only occasionally, such as inventorying supplies, reviewing old files, organizing the library, or updating plans
• Temporarily reassigning tasks to free up other employees
• Ensuring that employees and their co-workers fully understand that this is temporary work, and that injured employees will be expected to return to their full jobs as soon as medically able
• Reviewing the assignment regularly with the injured employee and their supervisor/manager, to ensure the temporary job is appropriate and address any concerns

• Conclusion

  It is important to support and communicate with employees performing modified jobs, so they feel empowered to perform the role safely within their written temporary work restrictions. As an employer, you must make injured workers aware of what modified duties include and that they are expected to return to their full jobs as soon as they’re medically able. Modified duty, which should be documented in a written letter that is signed by the employee and employer, is offered on a temporary basis so the return-to work program should clearly outline the length of any light duty work that can be offered to an injured employee.