What is a Return to Work Program?

A Return to Work (RTW) program is a plan established by a business to help injured workers return to work. A RTW program benefits both the employer and the worker as follows:

Benefit to the Employer

A RTW program can offer employers the following benefits:

• Reduce turnover. Retain experienced employees and avoid the cost of hiring and training temporary workers or permanent replacements.

• Support positive employee relations. An RTW program shows employees that employers care about their workers and their welfare.

• Retain productivity. Even employees who can’t return to work full-time can still help employers manage the workload

• Reduce Workers’ Compensation costs. An effective RTW program may help employers save money in training a new hire, and insurance premiums.

Benefits to the Employee

An RTW program can offer employees the following benefits:

• Retain social connections. Injured workers may feel isolated; finally returning to work will help them reconnect with colleagues.

• Support financial security. An RTW program helps employees stay financially stable.

• Retain skills. An RTW program can help employees keep up with changes in workplace requirements and remain a valuable asset to the company.

• Improve morale. Other workers will be encouraged to know that the employer will facilitate an injured employee’s return to work.

A Typical RTW Program

RTW programs consist of a few basic steps. The Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) recommends the following steps:

1. Contact the injured employee as soon as you are made aware of the injury and assist them in filling out Workers’ Compensation claims forms.

2. Explain the process for obtaining benefits and the company’s RTW program.

3. Identify essential functions that the employee must be able to perform with or without accommodation. 

4. Review the physician’s assessment of the injured employee’s capabilities.

5. Conduct research into potential accommodations, such as a sit/stand workstation, working from home, a modified break schedule and a part-time work schedule.

6. Decide on reasonable accommodation and make an offer to the employee to return to work.

7. Offer the employee an alternative role or temporary work if the accommodations are not sufficient to perform the responsibilities of the employee’s original role.

8. Monitor the employee’s performance and make adjustments to accommodations as necessary.

The Law

If an employer discriminates against an employee who can no longer perform the essential functions of their job with or without accommodation, then the employee may have a right to file a charge of discrimination with the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and have other legal remedies against the employer.

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