If an individual is absent from work on long-term sick leave, for any employer there are probably a number of questions which spring to mind:
• How and when am I going to get my employee back to work?
• What are my obligations to my employee under the Disability Discrimination Act?
•What resources can I tap into for help?
• How will this affect my company?
WorkMatters can offer a case management service that offers support and guidance in facilitating a Return to Work programme whilst providing solutions to the above questions.
Our nationwide team of Vocational Rehabilitation Consultants (VRCs) with skills ranging from Occupational Therapy and Occupational Psychology to Nursing and Occupational Health will work collaboratively with all parties to:
• Identify the gaps between what the individual employee can do and what their job requires of them
• Identify the barriers (which may be medical, personal or work-place related) that may prevent them from returning to work
• Build a plan to close these gaps and overcome the barriers, so that wherever possible, the employee is able to return to work
• Provide suggestions and recommendations on reasonable adjustments
• Provide guidance on the right approach to take regarding the number of hours that an employee can reasonably work during the initial stages of a return to work plan
• Provide on going monitoring, support and encouragement to ensure a successful and sustainable return to work is achieved in a way that meets the needs of the business whilst taking into account the restrictions and limitations of the employee.
