Managing return to work
Working with rehabilitation providers
As an employer you may use the services of a rehabilitation provider to help in the management of return to work after a mental health problem
Managing return to work
When rehabilitation providers, employers and employees work together, successful return to work is more likely. As an employer, you need to guide the rehabilitation provider in order that they can work effectively. Good communication between all those involved helps keep return-to-work practices specific and focused on work function, workplace behaviour and return-to-work outcomes.
There are many rehabilitation providers, with varying levels of expertise. When choosing a provider, it can be useful to ask about:
- their expertise in dealing with return to work after mental health problems
- their expertise in dealing with your industry
- their processes for ensuring that assessment and planning are workplace focused, with goals that focused on return-to-work outcomes and are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and aligned with evidence based recovery timeframes
- how they ensure that rehabilitation activities are evidence-based and specific to the employee’s needs (including consideration of the physical, personal, social and environmental factors that influence return to work).
- their processes for ensuring employee participation in return to work planning and empowerment of the employee to be actively involved in their rehabilitation
- their processes for proactive management of the return to work plan and effective coordination with all key stakeholders their recommendations for what to do if an employee fails to make expected return-to-work progress
- any documentation that demonstrates their competence in these areas, such as samples of reports, functional capacity evaluations, workplace assessments and suitable duties programs.
For more information on finding and liaising with a rehabilitation provider, see the Australian Rehabilitation Providers Association, the relevant workers compensation authority in your state or territory or the Comcare directory of providers.
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