How Can Employers Help Their Employees Who Have Undergone Drug or Alcohol Rehabilitation Treatment When They Return To Work?
After rehabilitation, it is often a good thing if your employee returns to work as soon as possible. Even if your employee starts part-time or helps out with smaller jobs, they will have a better chance of smooth recovery. Their physical and mental recovery becomes even better if they are active and remain connected to their work environment.
When employees come back to work from a Renaissance Recovery facility in Huntington Beach, all they wish for from their employers and co-workers is understanding and love.
There are several ways you can support them in their work and related social recovery.
Start A Conversation
Be open to regular, open communication with your employee. It can sometimes be difficult for you and your employee to start a conversation like that. Because starting these conversations can sometimes be challenging, employers should have resources to help them get started. These resources are used when talking to the employee about their injury, treatment, and rehabilitation.
The employer should assist the employee with this and let them know what to expect. Encouraging and talking to them like this will be easier if you also have the right guide in place. You can support your employee’s return to work quickly and safely by using these resources in conjunction with the ideas you might get from the rehabilitation facility.
Listen And Engage In The Activities Of The Employee
For a smooth transition, you need to know the job duties of your employees. It would also be best if you learned the things they love doing while on break at work. This will help you as the employer come up with a good recovery plan at work. This will give you an easy way to engage with them at work.
Do A Workplace Assessment
Every injury from substance use is unique, so there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. The employer needs to arrange for an occupational therapist from outside to visit the workplace. The therapist will talk with the employees and help with the assessment.
What Is The Outcome Of The Assessment?
After the assessment is done, you need to understand and figure out the outcomes of it. The therapist will work with you and your employees to;
- Get a better understanding of the injury and what they can do in the workplace while they heal.
- Find any obstacles that might hinder their recovery at work.
- Write an individual plan for returning to work. This could include:
- Reduced work hours
- Other jobs or tasks
- Equipment
- Travel options
- Helping you to make temporary changes at the workplace
- Communicate with your employee, their treatment providers, and ACC.
Bring someone from your company to the assessment to ensure that your needs are met and you’re satisfied with the plan’s design.
Make Changes To Your Workplace
Your employee might be able to return to work quicker if you make small changes to your workplace. For instance, you can move desks around or find a place for a footrest, or even a new chair in your office. This ensures that the employee is comfortable and possibly not at the same spot they were before rehabilitation.
After a workplace assessment, most occupational therapists can arrange for this. You can also make changes to help them if they have difficulty with mobility. For instance, this can be done by organizing a parking space alternative or another favorable floor to work on.
Be Flexible To The Changing Needs Of Your Employees
Your employee may be able to continue contributing to your company even if they cannot do their job. Therefore, it is essential to understand that your employee can recuperate at their own pace, sometimes even earlier than expected or later than anticipated.
Your employee can be helped by adapting their work style. As the employer, you can also consider the following things.
- Consider other tasks that they might be able to assist with during recovery.
- Allowing them to work fewer hours or on alternate days.
- Finding ways to work remotely or at another worksite that suits their needs.
- Let other staff know the situation so they can offer assistance.
- Also, make a point of engaging them in most work around people to keep them busy.
These things might seem easy to do, but they might be tough if not done correctly. Helping an employer for some employers has been a more challenging task than what they had anticipated. Going back to work after rehabilitation can never be easy.