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AND THE REALITIES BEHIND THEM by Kathleen Egan and Kenneth Mitchell |
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Debunking return-to-work myths is the first step in reducing the impact of lost time and eventually effecting positive change in your organization. The success that an employer has in assisting an employee returning to work after an injury, illness, or chronic health problem depends on many factors. The expectations and experience of the employer are the most critical; however, a subtle but equally strong influence is the managers' and supervisors' beliefs about how and when an employee should return to work. In the best circumstance, beliefs are based on clear corporate policies and an understanding of lost-time research. But the reality is that return-to-work decisions are more often based on misinformation, negative stereotypes, unfounded fears, and personal convenience. These beliefs directly influence employers' workplace practices and affect lost time. Some return-to-work beliefs based on half-truths, overgeneralizations, or inaccurate information -- otherwise called return-to-work myths -- are described below. Some myths are easily changed; others are extremely resistant and can become chronic problems in an organization. Read on to examine the top 10 return-to-work myths, the reality behind each, and what you can do to correct these unproductive ways of thinking. Debunking return-to-work myths is the first step in reducing the impact of lost time and eventually effecting positive change in your organization. 1. The 100 Percent or Nothing Myth: Employees must be able to do 100 percent of their job tasks before returning to work. Reality Not so. Employees regain their ability to work incrementally and can therefore transition back into the workplace gradually. In most cases, work tasks can be modified for short periods of time without reducing the overall productivity of an organization. What You Can Do Examine ways that employees can resume job activities in a safe manner, including:
Individuals who return to work in a transitional capacity from lost-time cases that are not work-related will re-injure themselves and then go out on workers' compensation claims. Reality There is no research to support what is commonly called the "disability migration" myth. However, in workplaces where there is limited risk management of non-occupational lost time or there is a clear incentive to avoid any workers' compensation claims, this migration can and does occur. What You Can Do The three most effective ways to prevent disability migration are:
It's the disability income protection provider's exclusive responsibility to bring the employee back to work in a timely manner. Reality The primary role of the income-protection provider is to provide income protection while an employee is unable to work. The job of returning employees to work is the result of a partnership among the income-protection provider, employee, employer, and physician. The income-protection provider can assist in developing a return-to-work plan; defining the expected length of time with the attending physician; defining reasonable accommodations; facilitating employees' release to work from their physicians; and providing vocational rehabilitation counseling. However, employers' policies and programs must define the path back to work in a safe and timely manner. What You Can Do Bring employees back to work as soon as safely possible by:
Light duty is an effective way to return employees to their full productivity. Reality Light duty can be static and open-ended. Uncontrolled or poorly managed light duty can encourage an employee to remain in a reduced-productivity position too long, or indefinitely. Without a planned transition back to full productivity, employees will not become reconditioned or build up the tolerance they need to resume full job duties. And if appropriate expectations are not established on the front end, miscommunication between the employer and employee can occur. What You Can Do Offer modified-duty positions, together with:
People who are ill or injured need total rest and removal from everyday life in order to recover. Reality People heal from illnesses and injuries incrementally. Getting back to normal daily activities, including work, is part of that process. Recovery progresses quickly and successfully when there is a combination of early mobilization treatment and increased transitions back to a normal way of living. Workplace managers play a key role in the recovery process when they involve the physician and the employee in return-to-work planning and a discussion of the need for temporary modifications in the workplace. What You Can Do Ensure that your employees are not totally disengaged from work by:
Most employees want to stay out of work as long as possible. Reality Don't be a skeptic. Sure, there is a small percentage of employees with low work motivation who may use an injury or illness to avoid returning to work, but most can and do want to return to work. In addition to the economic incentive, work is a strong source of dignity and self-esteem. Sometimes this myth is misapplied to individuals who aren't unmotivated but instead are fearful about resuming work after an injury or illness. What You Can Do With proper communication and guidance, employers can keep employees motivated, interested, and on track to return to work in a safe and timely manner. Employers can accomplish this by:
Employers can successfully manage return-to-work by focusing their efforts on a single benefit program, such as long-term disability. Reality Employees do not look at benefits in isolation, but as a package. Employees and their families often make decisions based on the best combination of resources available at the time they go out on leave. Any attempts to manage lost time must ensure that return-to-work programming is applied to all employees regardless of position or tenure. For example, senior employees with accumulated sick leave based on years of service would be left out of a return-to-work program attached only to a formal short-term disability benefit. Instead, employers should build programs that are inclusive, reducing the degree of program fragmentation, simplifying program participation criteria, avoiding cost shifting, and reducing the tendency to move an employee back to work on the basis of arbitrary criteria. What You Can Do Eligibility for participation in a return-to-work program should be open to:
Physicians always offer work restrictions based on solid knowledge of job demands and know when a patient is ready to return to work. Reality As an employer, you hold essential information about specific workplace policies and job demands. Physicians are experts in the field of diagnosis and treatment of disease and disability, but need your cooperation in order to make well-informed return-to-work assessments. A physician isolated from your input may unnecessarily limit the patient's work options. Usually, this is unintentional and the result of inaccurate or incomplete information. In some cases, a physician's training and work focus may not provide the best skills and clinical setting to assess functional capacity and make return-to-work plans. What You Can Do Make it possible to define the conditions under which an employee can resume a safe transition back to full job duties by:
Return-to-work accommodations cost too much . Reality Workplace accommodations are usually not expensive and may be as simple as rearrangement of equipment. The Job Accommodation Network reports that 70 percent of accommodations cost less than $500 and 20 percent cost nothing at all. In addition to keeping an employee at work, workplace accommodations can reduce workers' compensation and other insurance costs. What You Can Do Facilitate workplace accommodations by:
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) prohibits employers from requiring participation in a light-duty program. Reality True, you cannot reduce your employees' FMLA-protected leave by requiring them to return to work in light-duty positions before their medical providers certify them as fully able to perform their jobs. However, the FMLA guidelines do permit you to end an individual's lost-time benefits should a light-duty position consistent with medical restrictions be offered to and refused by the employee. What You Can Do When an employee on FMLA leave refuses a light-duty position:
Kathleen Egan is a return-to-work developer, and Kenneth Mitchell, Ph.D., is vice president of corporate return-to-work program development for UnumProvident Corporation. Permission to reprint granted by Workforce Management, www.workforce.com. |
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