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 [...]
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 [...]
This is an all-too-common occurrence – right? Many organizations have a union and some have multiple unions. Hospitals have at least 5 for the most part. You have to work with them. There is no way around this. When an employer says to me, how do you manage unions or do you have a problem working with unions, I shake my head. Seriously! Why [...]
WSIB has a campaign to eliminate workplace accidents called Road to Zero. In one of my earlier blogs, I wrote that I thought this was impossible. I still believe this today, unfortunately. Accidents happen all the time. The whole point of safety in the workplace is to reduce and/or eliminate them from happening but they continue to happen. With the new Rate Framework to [...]
