Identifying transitional jobs
Identifying transitional or modified jobs in your organization is a critical step in your return-to-work program. They provide opportunities for employees to begin working again as soon as possible within medical restrictions.
Examples of transitional jobs
Here's a list of ideas to help you start thinking about the jobs and tasks within your organization that someone with medical restrictions might be able to do. Be creative.
• Filing
• Answering phones
• Collating
• Copying
• Sorting mail
• Data entry
• Inventory
• Running parts
• Picking up materials
• Painting
• Cleaning
• Maintenance
• Security
• Activities directing
• Warehouse activities
• Driving
• Inspecting parts or products
• Supervising or training
• Customer service
• Cashier
• Monitoring
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The key to identifying transitional jobs is to think "out of the box."
Look at the recuperating employee's medical restrictions and find job tasks that fit within them. Here are some tips to jump-start your thinking:
• Keep an updated "transitional tasks log."
Develop a list of tasks, and the physical requirements each would entail.
If an employee is injured, pull out tasks from your task log that fit within specific medical restrictions. This allows you to create a "custom-made" transitional job for the recuperating employee.
• Create a "job jar."
Ask employees to think of tasks they need to get done but can't find time to do. When you need a transitional job, look through your job jar to find tasks that comply with the injured employee's medical restrictions. • Think of seasonal jobs the employee can do.
Keep track of tasks that get ignored during your busy season, or extra outdoor work that can be done in warmer weather, or inside jobs
in the winter.
Ways to comply with medical restrictions
HIPAA medical privacy shouldn't affect managing your employee's return
State law allows employers to have access to injured employees' medical records so they can see the work restrictions ordered by the treating doctor.
If you're not getting needed information from a medical provider, contact your SFM claims representative for assistance.
Learn more on the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as related to workers' compensation.
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• Part-time work. Medical restrictions may limit an employee from working full time. However, you can get the employee back to work for a few hours a day, or a couple days a week. Then, with the treating physician's permission, the employee can gradually increase hours as he or she improves and finally gets back at work full time.
• Modify the original job. Sometimes this is as easy as changing the way a task is done. Be inventive, especially in making no-cost alterations in the way equipment is used, and keep in mind that sometimes these may become permanent changes. Modifying the job might also mean allowing an injured worker to focus his work time only on the tasks he can do safely.
• Lower wage. It's OK to bring an employee back to work in a different position at a reduced wage, if necessary. For example, if an assembly line worker's medical restrictions won't allow him to go back on the line, he could work in the office doing filing or sorting mail at a reduced wage. His workers' compensation benefits would pay the employee two-thirds of the difference between his pre-injury wage and transitional job wage.
• Different department. Sometimes employers can't find transitional work for employees because they don't give enough thought to moving the employee to a different department. This may be the only way to get some employees back to work.
If your organization is union-affiliated, check union policy to make sure this is acceptable.
If you have questions about how to identify transitional jobs, or any other aspects of transitional work, call your SFM claims or loss prevention representative.
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