Training Needs Analysis Questionnaire | ReIntegrate

Policy Development - The Role of Equality and Non-Discrimination Policies in Return to Work

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:33:32 GMT

The Role of Equality and Non-Discrimination Policies in Return to Work

Assisting ill or injured workers to return to work is an excellent way of avoiding the risk of an unfair treatment and/ or a possible discrimination claim, on the grounds of disability. To ensure that the principle of non-discrimination is integrated into the return to work programme the following measures should be put in place.

Return to Work should be included as an explicit and integral part of Non-discrimination policy
Responding at an early stage to emerging health issues should be perceived as a way of avoiding the risk of discrimination
An information base of reasonable accommodations should be created
Disability awareness training should address issues of equality and non-discrimination

Building and Maintaining Capacity - Internal and External Communications

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:33:07 GMT

Internal and External Communications

Ineffective or incomplete communications can cause problems in the effective operation of return to work programmes.
Effective communications need to be:

Balanced with proper information governance in terms of confidentiality, privacy, information security and data protection
Maintained at all stages of the Return to Work process:
- Internally with absent worker, co-workers, his or her supervisor, senior management, those with responsibility for HR and OSH
- Externally with the worker’s family, insurers, relevant statutory agencies e.g. employment agency, or private agencies and service providers e.g. private health insurer.

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Maintaining Workability

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:32:41 GMT

Maintaining Workability

Maintenance of work ability is about ensuring that employees have the good health, job related skills necessary to undertake work and do so in a health promoting environment. There are four main areas of intervention:

Managing risk factors in the work environment through improvements in the ergonomics of work tasks, health and safety and work hygiene
Improving the psychosocial work environment to take account of the changed working capacity of a worker
Improving the individuals’ health and wellbeing through health promotion interventions, and with improving physical, psychological and social functioning.
Improving the job related knowledge and skills of the worker either to cope with his or her new health situation or in order to cope with the demands of a new or altered job

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Early Intervention

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:32:13 GMT

Early Intervention

Early intervention is widely accepted as a key factor successful return to work. It is generally accepted that early intervention involves a continuum of actions including:

Early monitoring after three days
The offer of assistance after six weeks
The offer of a return to work assessment after twelve weeks
The assignment of a case manager or return to work coordinator to coordinate the interventions indicated by the assessment

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Case Management

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:32:01 GMT

Case Management

Case management may seem like a costly method of coordinating the intervention by the organisation, but there is ample evidence to support the view that it is an essential ingredient of successful return to work.

The case manager engages with a worker at whatever stage in the disability process that person
He or she co-ordinates appropriate interventions, supports and resources in order to improve the individuals activity levels or participation
Successful case management requires:
- A focus not only upon impairment but also upon the barriers and challenges created by the external environment
- A comprehensive, multidisciplinary and integrated approach to developing the intervention plan
- Assistance in decision making and life planning in so far as the worker is capable of this.
- Keeping the client at the centre of the process
- An active participant role for the client within the process
- Continual feedback to the client the outcome of assessments and interventions.

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Assessing the Threshold

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:32:00 GMT

Assessing the Threshold

The best way to characterise the multiple and complex factors that influence the decision to go absent or to return to work, is to view them as constituting a threshold through the worker has to pass. These are typically made up of individual, workplace and external factors. Some of these types of factors are listed below.

The Individual Worker

The Worker’s Immediate Work Context

The Legislative, Regulatory and Policy Context

o Cause of Illness or Injury (e.g. Occupational or Non-occupational)

o Demographics e.g. Gender and Age

o Level of income

o Level of education

o Functional Capacity

o Activity Limitations

o Motivation to return to work

o Work-Life Perceptions

o Job insecurity

o Work Conditions (e.g. Control)

o Physical and psychological Demands

o Attitudes

o Co-workers and supervisor

o Culture & Ethos

o Job site supports

o Work adjustments

o Availability of Transitional Work

o Eligibility for services

o Availability of Services

o External Resources and financial supports

o Litigation and Jurisprudence experience

o Experience weighting of insurance premiums

o Legal Constraints (e.g. no fault versus adversarial systems)

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Interventions

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:49 GMT

Interventions

One of the most challenging tasks of the person responsible for coordinating the return to work process is selecting the most appropriate interventions for the long-term absent employee.

Interventions can be characterised under four headings:

Treatment (e.g. Medication, Primary Health Care)
Condition Management (e.g. Mediation, Physical Exercise)
Capacity Building (e.g. coping skills, re-training and physical fitness)
Environmental support and accommodation:
- Work Factors (e.g. Adjustment of Work conditions)
- Non-work Factors (e.g. Family advice and support)

Getting the Employee Back to Work - Follow- Up

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:38 GMT

Follow-Up

It is essential that the return to work process does not end when an employee returns to work. The two most important elements of the follow-up are:

Job retention support is given to the employee during the subsequent period of adjustment in order to maintain his/her work ability
The return to work programme must be regularly reviewed, evaluated and if appropriate improved based on feedback

System Maintenance - Reporting

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:18 GMT

Reporting

Regular reporting on the return to work programme serves a number of functions including ensuring the commitment of the leaders of the organisation and ensuring that issues to be resolved are identified early on.

Regular reports should be produced on the operational effectiveness of the return to work programme in terms of:

An analysis of the causes of absence
A summary of activities associated with the return to work process
Overall satisfaction with system
Effectiveness in terms of reduced incidence and length of absence
A cost-benefit analysis
The challenges encountered and the solutions generated

Material from the above reports should be presented regularly e.g. at a regular three monthly HR communication on the operation of the system.

System Maintenance - Continuous Improvement

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:31:00 GMT

Continuous Improvement

It is essential to plan for the sustainability of the return to work system. This requires that it is continually updated and improved through feedback. A formal evaluation of the system should be carried out periodically (e.g. every three years).
A continuous improvement plan should include actions in the following areas:

Health Interventions (e.g. Accident Prevention and Management Information Systems)
Disability Prevention (e.g. Internal and External Communications and Knowledge and Skills of the Team)
Return to Work Process (e.g. Early Intervention and Case Management Process and Transitional Work Programmes)

To ensure that the return to work system continues to improve, it is strongly recommended that the organisation seeks external accreditation for the system (e.g. with The International Disability Management Standards Council).

Policy Development - The Role of Human Resources in Return to Work

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:30:52 GMT

The Role of Human Resources in Return to Work

The HR function is often in the best position to coordinate return to work policies and procedures. Some important elements of a HR approach to return to work are listed below:

The Return to Work Policy must be negotiated in advance with workers or their representatives
It must be clearly laid out as an employee benefit in the employment contracts of all employees
It should be specified in the job description as a l responsibility of the HR or specific management function
The Absence Management system must include an explicit description of Return to Work procedures and data
It is important to ensure that all workers are aware of what will happen if they experience an illness or injury which results in absence from work

Policy Development - The Role of Workplace Health in Return to Work

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:30:42 GMT

The Role of Workplace Health in Return to Work

An integrated policy approach in which existing key policies areas such as Workplace Health are adapted to play important roles in the return to work process is essential. Some of the most important contributions of workplace health policy to return to work are listed below.

A proactive approach to emerging health problems through occupational health in the organisation
A Health and Safety internal resource person trained in the knowledge and skills to assist in return to work
A Workplace Health Promotion programme which deals with the whole workforce, specific work related health risks and special populations
Changing health behaviours and attitudes in the workplace
Monitoring the health of the returning worker

Getting Started - Overcoming Challenges

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:30:20 GMT

Overcoming Challenges

The introduction of an organisation wide, policy based return to work programme can face substantial challenges. Some of the major challenges are listed below.

Challenges within the Organisation:

Inertia and resistance in the system
Lack of Resources
Unclear lines of responsibility
Culture prone to litigation

Individual Return to Work Challenges:

Late identification and intervention
Worker’s fears, motivation and attitudes
Lack of work based and/or external services
Conflicting interests

Getting Started - Marketing and Persuasion

Tilia Boussios — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:30:00 GMT

Marketing and Persuasion

There are a number of critical steps that can be used to persuade the opinion formers in an organisation that it is essential to adopt a policy based and systematic approach to return to work. Some of the major elements of an effective marketing campaign are listed below.

Be clear on the affected interest groups in the organisation
Identify a Champion / key leader for the policy and approach
Carry out an organisational needs analysis
Feedback the results to each group and ask them to respond
Prepare a policy statement for approval by senior management
Disseminate to line managers and those with functional responsibility

System Maintenance - Monitoring

Tilia Boussios — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:26:00 GMT

Monitoring

Sustaining and improving a return to work programme within any organisation requires that the causes of absence, the successful strategies for reintegration and the impact on profitability are properly monitored.

The Absence Information Management System should be the primary mechanism for monitoring the operation of the return to work process
Ideally, information should be gathered at three points i.e. pre-absence, during the absence process and after return to work
At an individual level, a worker’s health, well being, job satisfaction, productivity and satisfaction with the process should be monitored
At an organisational level, information on lost time incidents, accidents, occupational health indicators, awareness of the system, satisfaction with it and perceived costs and benefits should be collected