Return to Work: Three Part Series Part Three: Accommodation and the Stigma of Returning to Work There is no one-size-fits-all solution when dealing with Return to Work because we all heal at our own pace and we all work differently. The following are some, though not all, of the common practices applied to Return to Work plans. Flexible work schedules Flexible schedules can include graduated hours: the worker may complete four hours at the pre-injury job plus four hours at the modified job; or rotate pre-injury tasks with modified tasks until they can complete a full shift of their pre-injury job. Flexible work might also be simply working fewer hours while receiving the monetary difference through WSIB Partial Loss of Earning (LOE) benefits. In this case, the worker may escalate their hours gradually until they’re back at their full shift. Modified job duties Workers may be restricted on how much they can lift (i.e. less than five kilograms), or whether or not they can lift overhead. They may require tools or equipment to complete work tasks. In addition, they may need line speeds or quotas adjusted as well. Modified work stations Depending on the work, a modified workstation may mean ergonomic changes such as making a sit-stand desk available, improving chairs or other seating for micro-breaks, or installing lifts or hoists, and more. Assistive devices and alternate communication forums Employers may need to provide headsets, speech recognition and/or Accessibility for Ontarians with Disability Act (AODA) compliant software. The AODA requires employers and service providers to meet certain accessibility standards. Other adjustments may include the use of email, texts, and translators. Training for new work Training may include skills upgrades, such as forklift training, typing, or quality assurance.
Renovating or changing the physical building An employer may need to install ramps, hand rails, automatic door openers, wider doorways, or other items to accommodate an injured worker and improve accessibility. Modified policies and procedures Some policies, such as seniority and bumping rights, or job posting requirements, may interfere with accommodation of an injured worker. In these cases, policies may be modified to allow for the accommodation. Alternate work tasks Accommodation may require sedentary work instead of active line duty, or the worker may perform filing, shredding, or other office duties, working in a cafeteria, box room, or other department in the workplace. Offloading work to others This strategy can potentially cause harm to another worker or create poor employee morale, but it is sometimes necessary. If, for example, line workers usually rotate tasks every two hours, but one of the more demanding tasks is not within the accommodated workers' functional abilities, the injured worker must skip that task. This requires the remaining co-workers to rotate through that task more often on a daily basis. Bundling tasks to create a new job This restructuring takes tasks that fall within a workers' functional abilities and creates a new job. For example: instead of performing pre-injury tasks of a grocery clerk or cashier, an injured retail grocery worker will get bundled tasks such as customer service, flyer distribution, answering phones, code check, and shelf facing.
