The RTW Evidence
The evidence for early return-to-work is compelling. Employees who return to work within 2 weeks of a work injury have a 90% probability of returning to full duty. Employees who are off work for 6 months have only a 50% probability of returning to full duty. Every week of delayed return to work increases the probability of permanent disability.
Modified Duty Program Design
- Identify modified duty opportunities: Catalog light-duty tasks across all departments
- Develop functional job descriptions: Document the physical requirements of each job
- Establish medical communication protocols: Ensure treating physicians understand RTW options
- Create a RTW coordinator role: Designate someone to manage the RTW process
- Set RTW expectations: Communicate to all employees that modified duty is available and expected
- Track RTW outcomes: Measure time-to-return and full-duty return rates
The Physician Communication Challenge
Pro Tip
The most common barrier to early RTW is physician communication. Treating physicians often do not know what modified duty options are available — so they default to "off work" restrictions. Provide treating physicians with a functional job description and a list of available modified duty options at the time of the initial visit. Physicians who know what modified duty is available are far more likely to approve RTW.