Return to Work Facilitation

Return to Work Facilitation programs assist employees who are off work due to injury or illness in developing a collaborative and sustainable return to work plan. Lost time can be costly to the employer and the employee. Investing in a structured return to work facilitation program can reduce lost time and disability-related costs.

Return to Work Process

Our Occupational Therapists begin with a functional assessment to determine your employee’s current abilities, level of function, and recovery to develop a structured return to work process. They assess the employee, job demands, and work environment and, together with the employer and the health care provider, create a sustainable return to work plan. 

Return to Work Preparation with Our TIPS for Return to the Workplace Program

Sometimes the main barrier to return to work is the worry and uncertainty. This 4-session program is based on the principles of work-focused cognitive behavioural therapy and strength-based exposure programming to provide your employee with the tools to successfully re-enter the workplace.

Return to Work Facilitation Meeting

As you prepare for return to work, it is important to engage the workplace stakeholders in the return to work plan. Our Occupational Therapists facilitate open and clear communication in a meeting with the employee, the manager, HR, and union to make sure that the plan works well for everyone. This is a time to discuss concerns, workplace changes, or barriers and develop a strategy to proactively support the employee back into the workplace.

Return to Work Planning and Monitoring 

You do not need a cookie cutter solution. This will only lead to more lost time. No return to work plan is the same as the next. The plan must meet the needs of the employee and the workplace so that it can be safe and sustainable. Our Occupational Therapists will work on objectively assessing the program, monitoring the program, and adjusting the program as needed to facilitate the employee’s successful return to their own job.

In this process, it may be determined that long-term accommodations are needed. The objective assessment and monitoring of the plan will help an employee and employer to implement the reasonable accommodations needed to perform the essential duties of the job. If the employee cannot return to work to their own job, then our Occupational Therapy assessment can help you to find an available and suitable alternate job for the employee.

Return to Work Training

All workplace stakeholders need to know how to develop return to work programs and support return to work. Our training programs for managers, human resources, RTW coordinators, union representatives, and employees help all stakeholders to have the knowledge they need to support a sustainable RTW plan.

• Consult with us on a challenging file
• Customize our training for your team
• Participate in our online training programs