What is Return to Work?
Return to Work is a work reintegration program for injured workers that maintains the dignity and productivity of the injured worker, and contributes to the injured worker’s rehabilitation and recovery.
Most people who are injured or become ill at work are able to return while recovering, provided that the work is medically suited to their injury or illness. Returning to daily work can actually help an injured worker’s recovery and reduce the potential of long-term disability.
What the law says
The WSIB Work Reintegration policies are expected to be implemented during the summer 2011 and will set out the responsibilities of employers and workers to co-operate within the Return to Work program. These policies will allow the WSIB to apply a new penalty—up to 100% of the loss of earnings paid to the worker, in addition to the labour market re-entry cost paid on the worker’s behalf—to employers who have available, modified work, and fail to offer it to the worker.
How a return to work policy helps your business
Both employer and employee benefit in cooperating in return to work programs. As an employer, you benefit by minimizing the financial and human costs of an injury or illness. Workers benefit by staying active and productive, which contributes to the healing and recovery process, and restores their source of income.
What you can do
- Be proactive and establish a return to work program before injuries occur.
- When an injury or illness does occur, employers and workers each have an obligation to cooperate in early and safe return to work. You are required to
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- contact each other as soon as possible after the injury occurs and maintain communication throughout the period of the worker’s impairment and recovery
- attempt to identify and provide suitable employment that is safe, productive, and consistent with the worker’s functional abilities and that, where possible, restores the worker’s pre-injury earnings
- give the WSIB any information it may request concerning the worker’s return to work
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