PEOPLE FACTORS
ARTICLE #13: POLICIES AND PROCEDURES THAT HELP WORKERS RETURN AFTER AN INJURY
The source of this article is RTWKnowledge.org
At a glance:
Employees are more likely to return to work if:
They think their
workplace has a high standard of occupational health and safety
The workplace keeps employees well-informed of their rights and responsibilities
in the return-to-work and the compensation process
Their workers' compensation claim is not disputed by their workplace
PERSPECTIVES:
Employee
Most workers are able to return to their normal job soon after a workplace injury.
Returning to work as soon as possible will help you to recover more quickly.
Good relations with your workplace are important for your recovery. Try to maintain good communication with your employer, supervisor and workmates during your absence from work and throughout your workers' compensation claim.
Employer
After a work-related injury, workplace issues are a strong influence on whether
an employee will return to work. Important factors include:
The employee's
beliefs about the organization's approach to safety at the workplace
The level of assistance provided by the employer during the compensation and
return-to-work processes
Workplace issues influence return-to-work regardless of the background of the worker, or the nature of their injury.
Workers are more likely to return to work if their workplace has good safety policies and practices (including fixing faulty equipment promptly.) They are also more likely to return to work if there are good systems in place for providing information about workers' compensation, including the worker's rights and responsibilities. This is especially important as many employees do not feel they have a good understanding of the system.
Your relationship with the worker also influences their return-to-work outcomes. Happy workers described employers who sent them to treatment quickly, provided suitable modified duties until they were ready to resume their normal job and respected and cared for them during their return to work.
Treater
A worker's return-to-work outcomes are influence by the level of assistance
they are given by their employer. This includes informing the worker about the
compensation and return-to-work processes and providing appropriate modified
duties where necessary.
Communicate with your patient and their employer about the possibility of temporary modification to work duties or hours and if possible visit the worksite to provide suggestions. The opinion of a medical professional can persuade an employer to be helpful and accommodating.
Insurer
In this study most participants who were dissatisfied with the workers' compensation
system reported difficulty in obtaining information or assistance. Dissatisfied
workers were off work for longer periods.
Claims managers can assist in the return-to-work process by:
• Giving
clear information about the employee's rights and responsibilities within the
compensation system
• Good communication, particularly if there is a dispute.
• People are more likely to understand a difficult situation if the issues
are explained and they are dealt with in a timely and respectful fashion.
• Avoidance of delays, particularly regarding treatment.
Original Article,
Authors & Publication Details:
D. T. Kenney (1998).
Returning to work
after workplace injury: Impact of worker and workplace factors.
Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling; 29(1):13-19.
Background,
Study Objectives, How It Was Done:
In previous studies, the follow strategies have been found to help people to
get back to work after an injury:
The aim of this study was to identify personal and workplace factors that are important in helping an injured worker return to work.
The participants in the study were 407 health, manufacturing and retail workers in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). The participants had made a workers' compensation claim in NSW between 1 July 1991 and 31 December 1992, and had been off work for a week or more.
49 workers were selected for in-depth interviews, which tried to identify barriers to occupational rehabilitation following a workplace injury. From these interviews, the researchers constructed a questionnaire, which was given to all the participants.
The questionnaire collected information regarding:
Study Findings:
Most of the study participants worked full-time in a workplace with more than
20 employees. Most workers were happy with their job (83%), the company they
worked for (73%) and the pay they received (67%). The most commonly reported
injuries were to the
Back (35%)
Arms (23%)
Legs (19%)
The most common types of injuries were:
Strains (34%)
Dislocations (24%)
Injuries were believed to be caused by:
• Physical
stress
• Falls/slips
• Machinery
Most people didn't blame anyone for their injury (53%), but some blamed their employer (32%) and a few blamed their co-workers (5%), or themselves (2%).
More than half of the workers said their workplace had an occupational health and safety policy and staff employed for workplace safety (first aid officer, company doctor or safety committee). However only about a third of the workers thought their employers “always' provided a safe workplace and maintained equipment/machinery properly.
Returning to work
Of the workers in this study:
• 17% able
to continue their regular work duties despite their injury
• 57% were temporarily unable to perform their regular duties, but were
able to return to them at some point after the injury
• 16% were permanently unable to do at least some of their previous duties
• 9% were permanently unable to work
At the time of the questionnaire:
• 65% of
the participants were employed full-time
• 11% were employed part-time
• 33% were not working
• 8% were receiving workers' compensation
• 5% were receiving a disability pension
• 6% were receiving unemployment or sickness benefits
• 5% had no income
• 53% of study participants said their workplace had provided suitable
duties on their return to work.
Factors that influenced return-to-work
The likelihood of returning to work was influenced by a worker's level of education and the type of injury they had. Employees with strains or overuse injuries were less likely to return to work than those with other injuries (e.g. burns, cuts, fractures and internal conditions.) However these individual factors were only a small influence.
Workplace issues were found to influence return-to-work regardless of the worker's background and the nature of their injury.
Workplace influences included:
• The employee's
beliefs about the general safety of the workplace
• The level of information provided to the worker by their employer to
help with the compensation procedure
The researchers offered several explanations for this. Workers who are aware of health and safety practices might use the occupational rehabilitation system more successfully. Employers who have safe workplaces might be more likely to manage injuries well and comply with the legal requirements of occupational rehabilitation. Employers and injured workers in safe workplaces might be more likely to have shared goals and therefore good relationships.
Whether the workers' compensation claim was disputed or not
A disputed claim is more likely if the worker's injury is more serious, if the worker has had trouble returning to work, or if medical opinions about the injury are conflicting. Disputed claims are a barrier to returning to work. Returning to work before the claim is settled is likely to reduce the cash settlement and disputes put both the worker and employer under great emotional stress.
Employees' satisfaction with the injury and return-to-work process
More workers made negative comments about their experiences (43%) than made positive comments (7%).
Most of the employees who were happy with the way their injury and return-to-work had been handled had only been temporarily disabled. They had been off work for a shorter time than those who were dissatisfied with the system.
Unhappy workers often commented on:
• Difficulty
obtaining information about rehabilitation procedures and their injury
• Lack of assistance from union representatives or rehabilitation providers
• Delays to treatment or claim
• Feeling the system was uncaring
Happy workers described employers who:
• Sent them
to appropriate treatment quickly
• Provided suitable modified duties until they were ready to resume their
normal job
• Respected and cared for them during their return to work.
Conclusions:
A workplace injury has physical, psychological and social consequences for the
employee. Loss of income, decreased standard of living and self esteem and problems
with family relationships can occur. The person's chances of returning to work
after their injury are influenced by personal and workplace characteristics,
the occupational rehabilitation system and the workers' compensation system.
In this study, two individual and three workplace factors were shown to affect an employee's likelihood of returning to work after a work-related injury.
Individual factors:
1. The worker's
level of education
2. The type of injury (employees with overuse or strain injuries were less likely
to return to work)
Workplace factors:
1. How the worker
perceived the occupational health and safety environment of the workplace
2. Whether the workplace had a good system for communicating information about
workers' compensation procedures and entitlements
3. Whether the workers' compensation claim was disputed
Workers need to be informed about their rights and responsibilities in the workers' compensation system and the return to work process. This is important for their wellbeing, and to help them return to work. The employer's attitude to the worker also influences their return-to-work.
Whether a person is able to return to work after injury does not only depend on the severity of their injury. Rehabilitation professionals should take into account personal and workplace factors when planning treatment.