There is no exact science for adjusting an injured employee’s workload, but there are factors to keep in mind before you start doling out the assignments. Your employee can and should return to the job even if they can’t perform their former job entirely, but not necessarily to their exact same role. Here are just a few tips before you begin the transition process.
Be Prepared for Some Bumps
This isn’t necessarily going to be easy, and it can get frustrating. You can’t shut down your whole operation just because one person needs special treatment. However, you owe it to the injured employee to work with them, not to mention you risk your chance of being sued for wrongful termination should you decide that the person’s work schedule or duties aren’t working out.
Rethink Your Schedule
This is where you need to practice some major flexibility. Can the employee work part-time or can the full scope of their duties be partially reduced? Can they perform work-related activities at their home to prepare for coming back to work? Talk to them, give some options and make it work.
Rethink Your Structure
If you don’t have hard and fast rules set for workers comp injuries, even if it’s never happened before, then you need to sketch out a plan. While every worker and injury is different, corporate guidelines (which hold true for everyone across the board) gives workers a sense of comfort in the process. Your rules should have timelines and extremely clear expectations. Also, they should not attempt to treat the worker like an invalid. Most employees aren’t trying to get out of doing their job. Increasingly giving them more work as they’re ready will encourage them to return to their full capacity sooner rather than later.
Involve Other People
You should be consulting with the employee’s doctor to get accurate information about their progress. Also, the employee themselves should be able to let you know what they’re capable of based on their personal recovery path. Once the employee feels needed and trusted again, this may motivate them and stimulate their ability to heal even faster.
Planning Ahead
A single claim can get expensive between time and money lost, and you may need to spend additional money for extra equipment or accommodations to an employee return. However, you likely can’t afford to fight an expensive lawsuit if you were at fault for an injury. Liable parties may be required to pay for care that stretches on for years. This is just the chance an employer takes, so you need to plan ahead with a conscientious budget for salaries, care and adjustments when they come back.
