The Principles underlying Return To Work
A positive and proactive attitude to the application of the principles of RTW on the part of all stakeholders achieves results. A negative attitude on the part of one stakeholder can undo all the good work of the others. Therefore goodwill and partnership in working together to achieve agreed outcomes is a fundamental requirement.
The Principles underlying RTW in alphabetical order are:
- Accommodation
- Accountability
- Agreed Outcomes
- Communication
- Empathy / Respect
- Leadership
- Shared decision making
- Speed
- Trust
The context in which these principles are applied is important.
Being a claimant introduces a minimum of four stakeholders to a health condition and RTW, these are: Employee, employer, treater, insurer.
Further each 'stakeholder' is usually not an individual, but a group within which subsidiary players each have their own interests and responsibilities e.g. Employee (family), Employer (co-workers / management), Treater (Doctor, specialists, rehab professionals), Insurer (claims management, senior management, policy makers).
Each different interest group increases the possibility of a conflict of interest, hence the proactive acceptance of a greater common good or goal, that is, the wellbeing of the person at the centre of the process, is required to counteract the sectional interests of the participants.
Hence: love that worker. Treating their recovery and RTW as you would a member of your own family is the attitude that works best. This is not idealistic touchy feely nonsense, but the best available risk mitigation practice.
It results in the best health outcomes and the speediest return to work for employees and that is the most cost effective result for the employer.
| Stakeholder Group | Role |
| Employee | My role is to do my best to understand the nature of my health condition and its cause, then take the lead in my recovery. Maintaining contact with work I take a proactive approach to working out the useful contribution I can make at work and return as soon as possible. |
| Employer | We work with our staff to provide a safe workplace, with early care for people with health problems. Our RTW Coordinator and supervisors are in contact with employees with a health problem, seeking to understand their issues and concerns, and let them know what is available to them. We work with them to overcome barriers. We bring trust, speed, empathy, respect and a willingness to accommodate to the achievement of the outcomes agreed with our employees. |
| Treater/s | Understanding that patients’ health outcomes are worse if they remain off work, I provide quality care for their health problem AND support the patient to return to work. Despite the fact that these consultations take longer, I provide the patient with an understanding of their problem, advice about how they can improve their condition and a sensible framework for work restrictions. Communication with the employer is an essential component of patient care and I do this in conjunction with the employee. |
| Insurer | Most claimants return to work quickly and our role is to simply process the relevant paperwork. Other claimants require active support from me. My role is to inform the claimant about the system, what they can do to improve their outcome, to efficiently respond to requests for treatment, and ensure they receive their wages on time. I work with the employer to support their efforts, and let them know what they can do to help motivate the claimant. |
