Early Return To Work Plan

Identifying and offering transitional work after an injury or illness benefits both the injured worker and the employer. An Early Return to Work Program can lead to:

• Better health outcomes for injured workers.
• An earlier return to full time duties which is more challenging and fulfilling.
• Prevention of interruptions to salary and return to full time pay.
• Improved loss and expense results from a claim standpoint.
• Retention of skills that the injured person still offers.
• Improved morale and a sense that the company wants to keep the injured person involved.

Return to Work Programs do not need to be excessively time consuming and at the same time should be goal oriented. An end point should be agreed upon with the worker, the claim handler and the employer.  Finding a meaningful job may require some discussion and thought. This may depend on the skills and abilities of the injured person. It is important to set expectations for the program at the onset of every claim.

Click here to view a sample program; however, the policy should be tailored to the company’s operations and needs to have the most impact.