It is a wonderful feeling welcoming back an employee after an injury or illness. It’s so pleasing to see them back on their feet and ready to get back into work.
However, whilst some workers will be able to pick back up as nothing has happened, there are those who may have some ongoing issues and may need some adjustments to the way they complete tasks so they can perform their work safely without risk to themselves or others.
But how can you be sure your employee is now safely capable of undertaking their work? And equally important, how do you ensure you are meeting your obligations to reasonably accommodate a worker who has an injury or illness and not discriminate or adversely impact them? This can be easily achieved via a tailored Fitness for Work Assessment (F4W©).
As opposed to a pre-employment fitness assessment which assesses a person’s match to a role before employment, this type of F4W© assessment considers an existing worker’s ability to perform their work safely after a known injury or illness. It plays a vital role in ensuring you do not discriminate or adversely impact the employee due to their injury or illness. This is because the assessment is conducted objectively by a qualified and experienced health professional and takes into consideration a range of factors to determine if the person can safely perform the role. It removes personal bias or misperception of what the person can or cannot do and provides recommendations for what the employer may be able to do to accommodate the person – helping the employer to make an informed decision on whether they can reasonably and practicably accommodate the person.
Of course, there are other benefits with this type of F4W© assessment, such as keeping a valued employee in the business, minimising the risk of further injury and associated workers compensation claims, and improving company culture, and employee happiness.
Find out more on our Fitness for Work Assessments or contact us for a friendly chat on how we can help you safely welcome a worker back into the business.