How to offer modified work to employees with a workplace injury without restrictions from a health professional is a common question from employers. In very simple situations, which will be explained during our discussion on Linkedin Thursday, June 13, an employer does NOT need a health care practitioner to provide restrictions prior to the offer of modified work. I know! I know! Employers are [...]
We have work to do when accommodating injured/ill employees. The best way to accommodate an injured/ill employee is to modify and/or alter their pre-illness/injury position, and make the accommodation in their own job, and in their own department. This takes a bit of work however and in our busy work schedule, some are more apt to take the quickest way to make the accommodation [...]
There are many ways we can discuss how to promote wellness in the workplace. Long gone are the days where our health relies solely on community health options and conventional medicine. It’s time employers step up to offer wellness opportunities, including alternative health choices as well as conventional medicine at the workplace. The critical piece in staying healthy is reclaiming ownership over our own [...]
All too often our biggest focus in disAbility management is how fast can we get someone back to work. Rather than making this your goal, cultivate a culture of genuine and universal concern for your injured and/or ill employees. Their chances of a speedy recovery is exponentially increased when the organization says 'I want you back yesterday' and we can help! Too many employees [...]
This issue seems to be arising much more frequently these days and unfortunately, employers are not handling it well whatsoever. If you take one or two notes and accommodate, I can guarantee you, there is a line of employees wanting to change their shift as well. How do run an organization, let's say a hospital, if a majority of your employees only want to [...]
It's very frustrating to me when I hear or read about how employers are accommodating their sick or injured employee. There's a right way to do this, and then there's the lazy way. Let's start with the lazy way - since it seems to happen all too often. When a worker provides restrictions or limitations, it's so easy to pull them out of their [...]
I've had the pleasure lately to talk to a few organizations about disability and wellness, and unfortunately, I seem to be the only one with a different mindset. For those of you that are inclined to read and listen, you may actually be the fortunate ones. Employers believe that weight loss and exercise is the way to wellness and reduced disability claims. I'm thinking [...]
All too often the question of how much longer should the modified work continue, comes to my attention. The answer of course is, it depends. For the most part, modified work should be between 4-8 weeks long. It should be progressive, suitable and productive. That's a lot to consider when deciding how and when to accommodate, never mind how long it should be. Make [...]
The 'own occ to any occ gap' is one of those vortex or black holes in claims management where employees drift off into never never land. Employers do not typically handle these well because they usually come as a surprise. I could say it's a gift to the organization but it really isn't. It's a conundrum. What it is, is fairly easy to explain; [...]
Over the years we've become very good at establishing appropriate accommodations when someone has a physical injury such as a sore back, or repetitive strain injury (RSI) but we need to get great at accommodating those with mental health issues. This seems to be a relatively new concept, one that is still yet to be adopted by most employers but definitely crucial in our [...]
