What works in getting employees back to their pre-injury duties? Keeping open the communication channels is the best strategy, says Wendy Goldring.
Good communication is the key to helping injured workers return to work as early as possible, according to Wendy Goldring. Wendy, a return to work coordinator and physiotherapist based at the ISS head office in Sydney – and part of the WCD Workers’ Compensation team – has significant experience in helping injured workers return to work and says this simple concept is vital to success.
“The most important factor in getting workers back to pre-injury duties is frequent, open communication,” says Wendy. “All parties involved in an injured worker’s case need to be kept informed at all times during treatment, rehabilitation and recovery. The worker, employer, treatment providers and insurer – everyone needs to be on the same page.”
Wendy’s role as return to work coordinator is to be the link or ‘negotiator’ between these parties, managing each case to the benefit of both the worker and employer and ensuring an effective, efficient, safe and durable return to work. Her aim is to ensure injured workers are provided with suitable resources and support for recovery and provided with alternative work options as soon as possible if required. This minimises the time injured workers spend away from work and assists in facilitating a successful return to work for the injured worker. Wendy stresses the importance of each case being treated individually and given its own attention and consideration.
“Cases need to be monitored closely and investigated thoroughly, as each case is unique,” says Wendy.
“Visiting the site of an injury allows you to gain a perspective of how the injury may have occurred and what factors were involved. It allows for an insight into relationships and attitudes within the workplace, the functional requirements of the pre-injury duties and what actions can be taken to avoid such incidents in the future. It can also be useful in investigating alternative work/site duty options for the injured worker while they regain their full capabilities.
“The value of meeting injured workers and their managers/supervisors in person cannot be underestimated in terms of building effective communication and developing an appropriate relationship with them, and in engendering their participation in the return to work process. It assists in facilitating an effective, efficient and safe return to work.”
Wendy says that regular contact with doctors, treatment providers and the insurer is necessary to not only keep abreast of an injured worker’s progress, but to keep the case moving forward.
“Allowing cases to become stagnant is bad practice – progress should be continuous,” she says
“You need to be aware of the diagnosis and treatment of an injured worker, what recovery to expect and the expected timeframe to achieve it. If a particular treatment isn’t getting results, what are the alternatives? There’s no point continuing down a path that’s not working. Therapy programs may need to be changed if improvements aren’t being achieved.
“In this respect, as a return to work coordinator, it is an advantage to have a good understanding of musculoskeletal injuries, the implications of various injuries on functional abilities and the expected timeframes of recovery from injuries and surgery – so you know what’s realistic to aim for or expect.
“Arranging a case conference with the injured worker and treating doctor/specialist is a valuable tool in successful return to work coordination. A case conference provides the opportunity for parties to meet in person to enhance communication and promote discussion regarding the progress of the case and assessment of alternative routes. It also provides the opportunity to bring up ‘carrots' to move the case forward – for example the impact on benefits of poor compliance with the return to work process, or the effect of being off work/on suitable duties after 26 weeks. These ‘carrots’ may result in better participation by the injured worker in rehabilitation and a more proactive approach by the treating doctor where these may not have been present.”
Wendy says that with the debilitating nature of workplace injuries, both physically and mentally, the return to work coordinator acts as a source of support for an injured worker. This relationship, she stresses, is an important one to maintain.
“Sometimes it can be difficult to motivate workers to undertake a return to work program. They need to understand that their program is designed to help them recover in the best way possible. The benefit of participating in therapy and rehabilitation with the support of their employer is far greater than that of not participating. The value of remaining at work, if at all possible, to assist in achieving a good recovery needs to be emphasised.
“Injured workers must realise they have obligations under the WorkCover legislation and they need to understand these obligations. It’s the job of both the insurer and the return to work coordinator to make sure the injured worker clearly understands these obligations and requirements, and that the WorkCover system is there for their protection.
“If injured workers aren’t complying with their treatment, non-compliance can be established under the WorkCover legislation and action can be taken through these channels. Pay entitlement levels for injured workers may decrease after 26 weeks so it’s not only in the best interest of the employer to get injured workers back on deck as quickly as possible, but to the worker’s benefit as well.”
Wendy says reducing injury-related time off within a company ideally starts at the prevention level.
“Accidents can happen at any time to anyone, but by cutting out potential risks or causes you can reduce your incidence rate and the time taken off by injured workers,” she says.
“Look not only at the physical factors and causes though; also pay attention to your workers. In my experience employees who are performing poorly are more likely to be involved in an accident than focused and appropriately performing employees. By recognising poor performance early you may well prevent an accident from occurring. It’s very important to encourage good performance management by supervisors and managers when the opportunities arise.
“Finally, good communication extends not just to external parties, but internally as well. Such measures as regular claims reviews will ensure managers and supervisors are kept up to date with the progress of cases, the aims and actions being taken. It provides an added opportunity for them to have input into the case. That way you can be guaranteed that all bases are covered and everyone involved in a particular injury case is well informed at all times.”