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Written by:
Julie A. Funk RN, CCM
Return-To-Work
Programs
What do they need?
Return-to-work (RTW) programs have increased
significantly over the years (dating back almost 3 generations) as a
means to bring ill or injured workers back to work – and keep them
working. To design,
implement, and manage these programs two components are vital: Communication
and Cooperation.
These programs allow workers to ease back into the workplace
after an illness or injury, with reduced tasks, physical demands, or
temporary assignment elsewhere in the company.
These assignments often last no more than three months and may
have a flexible work schedule to allow for medical or rehabilitative
treatments.
Companies are embracing RTW programs as a means to
reduce absenteeism and to improve productivity.
As for the employees, these programs enable them to remain
productive and earn a salary that is in excess of the disability
payments they would receive, and importantly to help maintain the
relationship between employer and employee, which can become
disconnected or even strained while a worker is off the job due to
disability.
There are challenges, however, to implementing a RTW program,
which cannot be overlooked. For
instance, an experienced production worker who is filing documents is
paid far more than this temporary assignment demands.
In a unionized workplace, temporary assignments have to be found
for workers that do not cross union jurisdictions or interfere with work
rules. Union
representatives need to be involved once a program is implemented.
For these reasons, communication and cooperation are vital to the
success of RTW programs. Because
of the various departments involved, the job of managing the RTW
programs often falls to a disability manager who can act as liaison
between the company and the employee and be in contact with human
resources, union representatives, and medical professionals.
Under RTW programs, assignments must be made on a case-by-case
basis, depending upon the jobs available, an employee’s skills, and
the nature of the illness or injury.
These programs have expanded with time with a focus that includes
personal medical leaves as well as worker’s compensation related
injuries.
The first step in devising a RTW program is to have support from
top management. One common
question asked is, what are the benefits to RTW programs.
The answer lies in productivity analysis.
When a worker is off the job, there are costs incurred such as
hiring and training a replacement or paying overtime to those who must
do extra. There is also a
risk of a slipped production schedule if a replacement is not hired.
The second part of the answer is the salary issue.
Even if workers receive a reduced salary, they are usually paid
more than the temporary tasks demand.
One solution is to create separate funding for all RTW
assignments.
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