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It would be good to have them back on the payroll doing something productive, instead of drawing workers’ compensation or burning up their medical leave, but their doctors haven’t yet cleared them to return to their regular duties.
You may be able to get them back to work sooner, though—if you put an effective light-duty return-to-work program in place.
Benefits of light-duty programs
Did you know that only half of workers who are out for 3 months actually return to work? If they’re out for a year, only one in four returns; after 2 years, only one in 100. Even if you’re willing to pay a workers’ comp claim that drags on for 2 full years, or hold open a job for a worker who spends a year at home recovering, shouldn’t there be a better way?
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A well-managed light-duty program has many advantages for both employer and employee. For employers, getting workers back on the job, even in a limited capacity:
- Helps reduce workers’ compensation costs and disability-related leave benefits;
- Improves retention of experienced employees;
- Increases your productivity;
- Reduces your need to hire and train temporary or new permanent employees; and
- Improves workplace morale.
For employees, a quick return to work:
- Improves their financial stability, which is generally good for their recovery;
- Reduces their stress related to job security;
- Enables them to retain seniority and benefits during their recovery period;
- Helps them retain job-related skills and training;
- Maintains their existing work relationships;
- Motivates them during their recovery; and
- Keeps them habituated to a regular work schedule.
Creating a light-duty program
Here are some important considerations when you’re setting up your light-duty return-to-work program:
Get started quickly. You can’t begin the return-to-work process too soon. The longer a worker is out, the less likely he or she will be to ever return. Such situations can throw your scheduling, hiring, and claims management into uncertainty. Uncertainty is expensive.
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If a worker will be out for a planned leave, such as for a medical procedure, start planning before the procedure. If a worker is injured, your return-to-work efforts begin at the moment the worker is injured. According to the Job Accommodation Network, employers that maintain communication, listen to a worker’s concerns, and take the situation seriously cannot only reduce a claim’s overall cost but also reduce the possibility of a lawsuit.
Set a time limit. Light-duty assignments are transitional assignments. They are intended to be temporary, while the worker heals. Set a clear expectation that the worker will return to her regular duties within a specified time frame.
This will be, to some extent, case-dependent, and you will want to be sure to involve both the employee and his or her doctor in the process. But if a worker cannot reasonably be expected to return to regular duties within 24 weeks (6 months), the worker (and you) may need to seriously consider the possibility of finding another job or going on permanent disability. (Bear in mind that disability discrimination laws may require you to offer reasonable accommodation.)
Tomorrow, we’ll look at how accommodations benefit workers and also at a common mistake employers make.