Returning to Work Following an Injury

Most people encounter an injury of some form in their lifetime. But when you face one that's life-changing or that has long-lasting effects, you may find that you need to take time off work to recover. When the time comes for you to return to work, there are certain steps you may want to take to ease your transition back into the workplace.

Assessing Your Suitability

Your workplace should use occupational health and rehabilitation services to ensure it's appropriate for you to return to work at this time. As a part of their efforts, they'll look at whether you're fit to return to the workplace. They'll also assess whether every element of your role can be approached in the way you approached it before your injury. In some cases, you may find that you need to take more time off work. However, occupational health departments do place great emphasis on ensuring you can return to your workplace.

Discussing Reasonable Adjustments

It isn't unusual to find that you can return to work, but that you need reasonable adjustments to make doing so realistic. For example, if you've encountered a back injury, you may need to remove any manual handling duties from your role. You might also need a chair with greater lumbar support to maximise your comfort. If you're still moving through a period of recovery, your occupational health specialist may recommend going part-time or phasing yourself back into your usual hours. You may need to meet with your manager to discuss such reasonable adjustments.

Fitting Your Therapies in Around Work

If you're continuing to engage with rehabilitation services, then it's important to ensure you can fit them in around your work. Depending on your shift patterns, it may be useful to both you and your employer to maintain the same appointment times each week. If you begin making progress with your rehabilitation, you may want to share this with your company's occupational health department. That way, they can help you return to more of your former duties. Overall, moving towards achieving what you did prior to your injury can be a very positive step forward for both your physical and mental health.

Engaging with an occupational health and rehabilitation service is all about maximising your comfort in the workplace. With the right progress, you can return to the job you love without your injury inhibiting your participation. The person leading your therapies will always offer a realistic appraisal of what you can hope to achieve.

For more information on occupational health and rehabilitation, contact a professional near you.