It’s in everyone’s best interests to help injured employees recover at work or return to suitable employment as soon as their injury allows.

You, as the employer, have an important role to play in the recovery of your worker.

Recent research affirms that the best place to rehabilitate most injured workers is in the workplace. Apart from promoting a quicker recovery, activities undertaken at work have proven to be more therapeutic than prolonged rest or only receiving treatment in a clinic away from the workplace. Having the injured worker at work also allows for the early identification of any issues that may hinder a worker’s rehabilitation and the development of strategies to overcome them.1

Being proactive about how you can continue to keep injured employees engaged in employment, embracing the spirit of inclusive employment practices and having a workplace culture that is conducive to health and wellbeing which is fundamental to helping your employees have the best outcome.

In the event of a workplace injury, you will also need to develop a return to work plan that is tailored to suit the particular needs of the injured worker.

When developing a recover at work plan, you should:

  • give the worker an opportunity to participate in developing the plan
  • describe the plan in writing
  • discuss who will receive a copy of the plan and what injury management information should be shared with co-workers
  • provide copies of the plan to the worker and the doctor
  • provide a copy of any changes made to the plan to the worker in writing.

It’s also good practice to:

  • keep a copy of the plan for yourself and give copies to all relevant stakeholders
  • inform line managers and co-workers (if required) of the plan’s content
  • monitor your worker’s progress against the plan
  • update the plan when the worker’s medical restrictions change or if there is a change in the workplace that impacts the plan.

Creating a plan in collaboration with your worker is more likely to increase the chance of its success. You need to agree on a clear recover at work goal to ensure everyone is working towards a common objective. Listen to their suggestions and concerns. Incorporate their input wherever possible while being clear about the options available.

Your plan should focus on what a worker can do, rather than what they can’t.

To identify suitable work options, you might:

  • think about the worker’s pre-injury role
  • discuss work options and available duties with your worker
  • speak to your worker’s supervisor or immediate manager and ask for suggestions about how to organise duties to fit current work routines and schedules
  • review all the jobs your business has available and look at how they may align with your worker’s skill set
  • review the capacity of your worker as described on their certificate of capacity
  • provide work that has been ‘put on the back burner’ or any good ideas you haven’t had time to implement
  • determine who else needs to be involved

Consider the tasks closest to your worker’s pre-injury duties as your first option. Duties can be offered in any of the following ways:

  • the same job with different hours
  • modified duties
  • a different job altogether
  • at the same or different workplace
  • a combination of these options

Regularly monitoring the plan for progress, effectiveness and updates as your worker recovers is important. It helps support the worker, ensures arrangements are consistent with their work capacity, and triggers the need for any adjustments or updates. It is recommended that you document any review dates specified by the doctor on the certificate of capacity.

You may need to nominate a supervisor to make sure the worker is only taking on duties within the capacity specified by the doctor. Details of these arrangements should be described within the plan.

It is best practice to seek agreement for the plan from others, particularly the doctor.

As the recover at work plan is used by a range of people it is helpful to include information about:

  • the roles and responsibilities of people involved in the recover at work process such as supervisors, managers, return to work coordinator and co-worker
  • the process for handling concerns or dispute
  • the process for disclosing information
  • any additional support that helps ensure a successful recovery at work

We all have a social and economic interest in ensuring that injured workers return to work safely and as soon as possible following a workplace injury or illness. The longer an injured worker has to wait for assistance the less likely it is to be effective and the more likely that the worker will develop long term disability and work loss. Hence, early return to work is a central feature of the workers compensation system.

If you would like to talk through your business’s workers compensation insurance requirements together in relation to your business activities, even if you are positioned with another brokerage, we’d be only too happy to sit down over a coffee and discuss your needs. There are options available to you should you wish to have Mitchell’s take over the management of your insurance program, allowing you the control of a strong insurance program that is positioned correctly to your requirements. More information on how that can be achieved is here.

At anytime though, feel free to call Mitchell Insurance Management on 02 6113 0478 or contact us. Again, we are only too happy and would enjoy the opportunity to talk through your potential business risks, proposing solutions that will fit and support your business activities going forth.

1 Waddell, G and Burton, AK. Is Work Good for Your Health and Well Being? Norwich, UK: The Stationery Office. 2006; Foreman, P. Murphy, G., & Swerissen, H. (2006). Barriers and facilitators to return to work: A literature review. Australian Institute for Primary Care, La Trobe University, Melbourne.

References
The ACT Workers Compensation Act 1951
The NSW Workers Compensation Act 1987

The information contained in this blog provides only a general overview of subjects covered. It is not intended to be taken as advice regarding any individual situation and should not be relied upon as such. Insureds should consult Mitchell Insurance Management regarding specific coverage issues. All insurance coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, and exclusions of the applicable individual policies. Mitchell Insurance Management cannot provide any assurance that insurance can be obtained for any particular client or for any particular risk.