When the cannery where Dennis had worked for twenty years closed, he took a job doing yard work for a landscaping company.

Unlike the cannery role, this work was labour intensive. Dennis was fifty-three years old. He frequently returned home exhausted from the daily bending and lifting.

Dennis had experienced some occasional, mild soreness in his back before this job. After a year at the company, his back pain became a constant issue.

He asked his supervisor if he could do lighter tasks. The supervisor seemed uncertain but finally agreed that Dennis could stop digging.

While this modification helped, he soon found himself shouldering more of the lifting tasks. His back pain grew worse. When he approached his supervisor again, she did not seem particularly concerned. She said she would get back to him but never did.

Dennis’ doctor gave him a week off work and suggested he return to modified duties.  At this point, the company’s Return to Work manager became involved. He sent an email to Dennis’ supervisor explaining Dennis’ new duties.

Dennis stayed on modified duties for the next two years. When other employees complained about his “laziness”, the supervisor would agree. “If it were up to me, he’d be out of here,” she would say loudly enough for Dennis to hear.

After two years, the supervisor complained to the company owner about the situation and Dennis was let go.

At fifty-six, with troublesome back pain, poor literacy skills and low confidence, Dennis was off work. His workers compensation payments commenced after he took on restricted duties, giving him little motivation to job seek. As Dennis saw his future as being unemployable, his next move was to engage a solicitor. 

Lessons for return to work

Such cases are difficult for Return to Work managers.  Taking on a physically taxing job at the age of 53 is a risk factor for developing an injury. 

The workplace could have done much to achieve a better outcome. 

Some tactics for improving return to work include:
 

• Supervisor alerts the Return to Work coordinator as soon as possible 
  
  Early intervention leads to the best results for work injuries. In Dennis’ case, the supervisor failed to report the initial problem to the Return to Work manager until Dennis was off work. This prevented early action from being taken.
  
  With long term conditions such as back pain, early management can make all the difference. With early treatment to improve Dennis’s fitness and a good understanding of his problem, it is possible he could have remained productive and engaged at work.
  
  Much of his work could have been made easier with a $6,800 machine that operated as a mini bobcat. While this sounds expensive, it is a relatively small sum compared to the cost of his claim. Aided by a back strengthening program and variation in his work tasks over the day, Dennis is likely to have managed long term with the duties. 
  
   
• Identify appropriate duties
  
  Identifying appropriate duties becomes possible with the input of the return to work coordinator, employee, supervisor and, if necessary, a rehabilitation provider. The supervisor’s failure to communicate with any other party, including Dennis, resulted in her offering Dennis duties that made his pain worse.
  
  Appropriate duties take into account an individual’s particular abilities and level of function.
  
  Asking the worker about what they can and can’t do is important, as well as getting input from their treating practitioners.  The worker knows their particular condition, what stirs their pain, what they can’t do without too much bother. A process involving multiple perspectives is most likely to result in duties that suit the organisation as well as the worker.
  
  If the organisation lacks experience with a certain type of injury, a rehabilitation provider can be brought in to give advice.
  
   
• Communication between supervisor and Return to Work manager.
  
  Communication between the Return to Work coordinator and other staff members can impact the worker’s return to work. Setting out clear procedures and expectations of supervisors helps Return to Work managers get the support they need from staff.
  
  Communicating clearly with staff brings supervisors on board with the Return to Work plan. In Dennis’ case, an email was insufficient to effectively communicate Dennis’s needs.
  
  As an alternative, the Return to Work manager could have sat down with the supervisor face-to-face and explained the significance of Dennis’ injuries, how his work impacts those injuries and what modifications need to be made. The supervisors would have had an opportunity to ask questions to clarify her understanding of Return to Work.
  
  Making supervisors an equal partner in the Return to Work process makes it more likely the return to work program will be successful.
  
   
• Supervisor training for Return to Work
  
  Return to work programs are more likely to be successful if the whole organisation supports the process. Staff training can help supervisors understand their role in Return to Work.
  
  Crucially, training can help shift the perception of injured workers. Rather than viewing workers as lazy or entitled for needing modified duties, supervisors may come to understand the workers condition and what they can do to assist. The supervisor’s job satisfaction increases as they identify their role and see they can make a difference. Providing assistance to the worker engages the worker and their productivity lifts.
  
  This attitude shift spreads to other employees. If supervisors openly support return to work, other employees are less likely to be resentful of the worker’s treatment. This positive shift can lead to earlier reporting of injuries, faster recovery times and a general increase in return to work rates.
   

Helping each person involved with return to work understand their contribution helps build the foundation for return to work at an organisation. When early workplace management fails, long term claims are more likely. 

Dennis’s case is an everyday occurrence: simple early measures missed. The end result is another long term case that is complex to manage, expensive, and leaves the worker disconnected and unlikely to ever reenter the workforce.