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The Supervisor's Role In Return To Work
The supervisor is usually the key to a successful return
to work. Supervisors must act in tandem with the employee and
case manager, and be open to exploring return to work alternatives.
They must be trained to look at the job functions as just a
means to an end, and be trained to be open as to the process
to achieve that end. And to make all of this happen, supervisors
must have an adequate support network to help them handle these
myriad responsibilities. Be sure to address these questions
for your supervisors:
- Who can help them coordinate a partial or restricted request
for return to work?
- Can they make job accommodations? Within what limits?
- Are other jobs available in the company for the employee
to do on an interim basis?
- How do they answer questions from employees who feel the
disabled employee is getting "special treatment"?
Supervisors must also make sure employees feel welcome to
return to work. Employees must see that there is a corporate
culture that values them and their abilities, not one that
forgets their contributions if they are no longer around.
This attitude often requires more effort on the part of the
employer and/or supervisor, because it is very common for
an employee to feel depressed during a lengthy absence from
work.
Early Intervention
Successful employer disability management programs make
a point of contacting the employee early and regularly during
their disability absence. The results of this are beneficial
to the employee and the employer:
- Employees regain their confidence and tend to come back
to work more quickly
- More employees will choose to stay at work
- Employees that do return earn a higher wage than if they
stayed at home
This contact can be a simple "how are you doing"
phone call or even a card to say "hello". If your
company has a Return to Work Coordinator or a case management
program, the earlier they contact the employee, the better!
Again, a corporate culture that values all employees is key
to laying the foundation for communication and early return
to work.
| The earlier the employee is contacted during their
disability absence, the better. |
Becoming the "Change Agent"
This sounds like a broken record - the employer must take
the initiative to create a sense of value among all of their
employees. This is not something that can be accomplished
via a communication blitz.
- This has to be an ongoing effort to encourage regular
and collaborative communication between supervisor and employee.
- Employees must also understand the importance of their
job to "the big picture", their presence in the
overall work environment and their direct link to productivity.
- The company must stress that all jobs be very clearly
defined but flexible.
- New managers must be trained on how to handle all facets
of personnel issues, especially the effective evaluation
of employee performance.
- Senior management must invest in the effort
to develop this culture and a process to manage returns from disability.
This kind of culture won't happen overnight. But by encouraging
trust in employees and their contributions to the company,
companies can achieve a balance of providing resources to
help their employees to assist their return to work with effective
use of the company's money.
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