Helping people back to work means you have to deal with many and varied situations and individuals, and both can be challenging.

It’s worth identifying what you value in your job and yourself, and playing to your strengths.

It can take many of us decades to get to the point where we know ourselves, and are comfortable avoiding certain situations, while at the same time identifying the parts of our job that work for us. To help you along the way towards self knowledge, we’ve identified some helpful questions (and possible answers) for you to ponder...

Do you value working with people?

If working with people is for you, you’ll be in a much better position to assist people back to work.  Empathy, communication, and active listening are key aspects of return to work coordination.  If you value working with people it will come across, and the job is likely to be more rewarding.

Do you value structure and procedures?

We call return to work coordination ‘project management with love’.  Project management requires discipline: organising, planning, scheduling, and regular follow-up.

Organisational skills are vital for return to work coordinators, but not at the expense of communication and connecting with people: that’s where the ‘love’ comes in.

Are achievements your thing?

If you value achievement and success, then it’s sensible to set yourself realistic goals.  If you expect to be successful in every situation, you’ll set yourself up to fail. Identify realistic goals, either for success with return to work plans, or in terms of influencing employees and management.

Is being your own boss important?

Return to work coordinators in small to medium sized enterprises often have significant levels of autonomy and freedom over their daily activities.  This works if you’re a solo operator. 

However, if being one of a team is your thing and if you like to work with others who are doing similar roles, then maybe you’d be better off working in a larger workplace where there are multiple return to work coordinators to support and inspire you.

Do you like to be hands-on, or prefer working in a consultative capacity?

If you like to be hands-off, and would rather advise others than do the “dirty work” yourself, that’s fine! Set yourself up in a role where you’re supporting a team of people, such as supervisors or claims’ managers, rather than being the direct person “on the ground”.  These jobs may be harder to come by, or more challenging to set up, but can prove significantly less frustrating if you’re not the “hands-on” type.

That said, if you ARE passionate about getting in there and helping people in difficult situations, you might want to avoid positions that take you away from the “ground”. Nurturers need to nurture!

There’s nothing quite so satisfying as a job well done. Get to know yourself, find a position that makes the most of your strengths and enjoy the satisfaction that follows!