Sample return to work plan

Scenario: A respected and admired employee becomes withdrawn and irritable at work over a period of three to four months. He begins to miss deadlines, make errors, and often snaps at coworkers and managers when they offer help or provide feedback. This employee calls in sick one day for medical reasons. He ultimately requires three to four months off work.

The return to work process begins at the outset of the absence. The manager does the following:

• Contacts the employee, expresses concern and ensures he is aware of the company’s confidential Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) as well as the procedures for an absence.
• Advises the employee that they offer accommodation to help ill/injured employees return to work in a safe and timely manner. If possible, the manager provides this information in writing, along with any employer-related resources that the employee can access during the work absence.¹
• Advises the employee that someone will be in touch periodically to check in and help plan for his successful return to work when the time is right. (The employer contact is determined by workplace policy, and the specific individual should be identified to the employee whenever possible.)
• Lets the work team know that the employee will be away from work for a period of time and discusses a plan to manage the workload. The team sends a get-well card. Regular check-ins with the employee take place.

When it is determined that the employee is ready to start back to work, specific functional restrictions and limitations are obtained from the employee and his health care team in order to ensure his safety.

• A plan is developed and discussed with the employee so that any concerns or anticipated challenges can be addressed.
• The manager advises the team when the employee will be returning and discusses the expected distribution of work. When he returns to work, he is welcomed back by all team members.

In this case, the restrictions and limitations are identified as:

• Difficulty with consistent energy level and concentration prior to 10 a.m.
• Ability to tolerate occasional exposure to confrontational situations which require action on his part.
• Difficulty tolerating distractions or multi-tasking on more than an occasional basis.

These difficulties are expected to be temporary and improvement is anticipated. It is noted that this employee continues to participate in treatment, which is only available during regular business hours.

This employee’s usual hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Job tasks include working on multiple projects and working as part of a team internally and with external customers. The usual work area is in an open-concept centrally located cubicle.

A return to work plan can be developed as follows:

Week 1:	Start time: 10 a.m. Shift length: four hours with a break Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: catching up on communications or process changes that have occurred during the absence; meeting with internal team members; review of current status of one project and meeting with this internal project team
Week 2:	Start time: 10 a.m. Shift length: four hours with a break Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on one project, with access to internal team members for support, particularly if there are any confrontational dealings required with the customer; no off-site meetings
Week 3:	Start time: 10 a.m. Shift length: six hours with at least two breaks Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on one project, with access to internal team members for support, particularly if there are any confrontational dealings required with the customer; review of current status of another project and meeting with this internal project team
Week 4:	Start time: 10 a.m. Shift length: six hours with at least two breaks Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on two projects, with access to internal team members for support, particularly if there are any confrontational dealings required with the customer; review of current status of another project and meeting with this internal project team
Week 5:	Start time: 9 a.m. Shift length: seven hours with three breaks Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on two projects, with access to internal team members for support, particularly if there are any confrontational dealings required with the customer; review of current status of another project and meeting with this internal project team
Week 6:	Start time: 8 a.m. Shift length: eight hours with three breaks Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on three projects, with access to internal team members for support, particularly if there are any confrontational dealings required with the customer; review of current status of other projects and meeting with internal project teams Accommodation: time off to attend treatment session (to be scheduled near the start or end of the shift) once this week
Week 7:	Start time: 8 a.m. Shift length: eight hours with three breaks Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work on projects, with access to internal team members for support Accommodation: time off to attend treatment session (to be scheduled near the start or end of the shift) once this week
Week 8:	Start time: regular Shift length: regular (employee is encouraged to continue to take three breaks) Environment: access to a quiet work area as needed Duties: regular work Accommodation: time off to attend treatment sessions (to be scheduled near the start or end of the shift) up to once a week for up to eight weeks

The manager and the employee meet weekly for the first six weeks to check in and discuss any questions or concerns that arise with the plan. During one meeting, the employee appears distressed and overwhelmed and the manager offers him some time in a private space. The manager also reminds the employee that he has access to the company’s confidential EFAP service, provides the number and access to a phone.

When the employee struggles with some work tasks in the first few weeks, strategies for managing these challenges are discussed and he is reminded of the supports in place. He is also reminded that he is not expected to be working beyond the agreed upon return to work plan.

The manager and employee meet every other week for a mutually agreed upon period of time to ensure that the accommodations are working and to determine when the accommodations need to be changed or removed.

1. ¹ Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 63(10): Reducing sick leave by minimal postal intervention: a randomized controlled intervention study: Fleten N., Johnsen R. (2006)