Return to Work Plan, Purposes and Elements of an Effective RTW Plan, Insurer and Doctor's Responsibility - Essay Example

Report on Return To Work (RTW) plan Name Institution Date Introduction All employers irrespective of size, whether large or small, must ensure that there is an effective system if injury management put in place in the organization (Cunningham & Dibben, 2006). Organizations must ensure that their employees remain safe in the work place, as this is their duty. Additionally, in as much as it could be costly for the organization to put in place measures to ensure safety is maintained, it is worth the cost since when injuries happen in the organization’s work place, it is going to be far much costly to both the injured employee and the employer too. However, while prevention of accidents is the best approach to cut on costs in the long run, developing and having an effective Return To Work (RTW) plan or program is much better in ensuring that costs are effectively managed whilst ensuring that the injured employee recovers after the occurrence of the injury (Cunningham & Dibben, 2006). If the injured employee is absent from the work place for a longer period of time, higher costs will be incurred by both the employer himself and his carrier. Additionally, extra costs will result from reduced level of productivity, lost overtime revenue, reduced levels of morale, increased cost of premiums, as well as the costs that come along recruiting, selecting and training a new employee in instances where there is need to make a replacement of the injured employee. Barney, who got injured in line of duties, needs to be assisted return to work after the injury. However, after returning to work, he won’t be able to tackle some of the duties he used to do before the injury. The limitation also relates to the amount of time spent in the work, for instance, he is supposed to work 4hrs a day, 3days per week. Purposes of a good Return To Work (RTW) plan An effective RTW plan is meant to serve a number of purposes: Firstly, an affective RTW plan or formula helps an injured employee to develop and maintain a positive form of connection to the work environment. After an injury, the injured employee always develops some form of frustrations and fears which can only be reduced if not eliminated, by an effective RTW plan (ReturnToWorkSA & Castillo, 2015). Secondly, an effective RTW plan helps to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are brought together and work towards helping the injured employee reinstated to work. Additionally, a proper RTW plan or formula improves communication among the relevant stakeholders and further establishes their respective responsibilities and roles relating to helping the injured employee return to work after the injury (Work Cover NSW, 2010). Thirdly, a return an effective Return To Work (RTW) plan helps all employees in the organization, both the injured ones and the un-injured ones, to fully comprehend and have full access to necessary processes to be followed inorder to solve problems that arise at the employee work place during the return to work transition (Lammerts, Schaafsma, van Mechelen, & Anema, 2016). Elements or Contents of an effective RTW plan As per the legislation of WA’s worker compensation, all form of return of return to work programs must be in writing. It must include the following: The name of both the injured employee and the employer (Lundqvist & Samuelsson, 2012). The goal and objectives of the program- This points out what is set to be achieved by the program. For instance, it stipulates the level of position the injured employee will be holding whe he/she returns to work, the kind of responsibilities that will and won’t be handled by the injured employee, the length of time inform of hours the injured employee will be working, and the period the new conditions set as a result of the injury will last (Lundqvist & Samuelsson, 2012). Any form of action required to help the injured employee return to work. This is meant to ensure that the injured employee receives maximum support during his/her return to work after the injury. Further, it stipulates the specific person to help the employee when the return time approaches (Lundqvist & Samuelsson, 2012). The program is a contractual obligation and there must be consent though signing that both the employer and the employee agree to abide and be guided by the program (Lundqvist & Samuelsson, 2012). The employee insurer details must also be included in an effective RTW plan (Lundqvist & Samuelsson, 2012). The employer, in this case The Supercheap Discount Pet & Hardware Barnhouse should serve the injured employee, in this case Barney, together with the GP, a copy of the Return To Work (RTW) plan or program and let them remain updated as the Barney’s health improves (“Employer forms - Work Cover WA,” n.d.). Rights and obligations of stake holders A successful RTW plan or program should involve the incorporation of participation from the injured party himself, the employer, the injured party’s insurer and the injured party’s doctor. Employer’s responsibility It is the responsibility of the employer under law to ensure that there is a Return To Work (RTW) program indicating all the necessary procedures that should be followed by the injured worker when he/she returns to work after an injury. As noted earlier, the biggest responsibility of implementing a RTW program or plan lies with the employer. This, however, is based on the fact that the employer understands much about the employee. The duty of the employer does not only involve helping the injured employee in placing compensation claim and leaving the rest to the employee’s insurer (Mohr, Eaton, McPhaul, & Hodgson, 2015). Therefore, it is the sole responsibility of the employer to help the employee place a compensation claim with the insurers, follow up on the compensation claim, help the employee access medical claim and ensure that the employee is fairing on well after the injury (Jakobsen & Lillefjell, 2013). Insurer’s responsibility The employee’s insurer or agent has also a role to play in ensuring that the injured employee returns to work safe and sound. This is however possible through establishment of a return to work plan. The employee’s insurer, similar to the employer, has a Return To Work (RTW) plan or program, which is made up of a list of procedures to be followed by the insurer when the insurer is notified of the occurrence of the injury. The insurer has a responsibility of developing an injury management program which helps in managing injuries when they occur. Additionally, the insurer should develop an injury management plan which helps in treatment and rehabilitation of injured employee to enable inorder to quicken his/her return to work (Jakobsen & Lillefjell, 2013). Doctor’s responsibility The doctor play a major role in eventually ensuring the injured employee returns to work after an injury. The doctor prescribes medicine to the injured employee toe quicken his /her return to work. The doctor further ensures that the employer is notified of what the employee is supposed to do and what he is not supposed to do upon his return to work. For example, Barney, upon returning to work after the injury, is not supposed to operate heavy forms of machinery. Additionally, he is supposed to ensure that he takes the prescribed dosage properly (Jakobsen & Lillefjell, 2013). Duty of co-workers Co-workers also are key stakeholders in the process of ensuring the injured employee returns to work safe and sound after the injury. The co-workers play a very crucial role of encouraging and supporting the injured employee upon return to work. Similarly, they make the injured employee’s stay in the workplace comfortable through offering direction and support (Jakobsen & Lillefjell, 2013). Conclusion In conclusion, injured employee’s return to work process is not a simple matter as is perceived. It involves participation of key stakeholders including the doctor, the insurer, the employer himself and the co-workers. Therefore, for effective implementation of Return To Work (RTW) plan or program requires full support from key stakeholders. The aim or goal of a RTW plan is to enable the injured employee return to work safely after the occurrence of an injury. It is an important exercise which should be done with utmost respect and confidentiality, as per the system. Bibliography Cunningham, I., & Dibben, P. (2006). Job retention and return to work of ill and injured workers. Employee Relations, 28, 290–303. Employer forms - Work Cover WA. (n.d.). Retrieved May 10, 2016, from http://www.workcover.wa.gov.au/resources/forms-publications/employer-forms/ Jakobsen, K., & Lillefjell, M. (2013). Factors promoting a successful return to work: From an employer and employee perspective. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 1–10. Lammerts, L., Schaafsma, F. G., van Mechelen, W., & Anema, J. R. (2016). Process evaluation of a participatory supportive return to work program for workers without a permanent employment contract, sick-listed due to a common mental disorder. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation. doi:10.1007/s10926-016-9625-6 Lundqvist, A., & Samuelsson, K. (2012). Return to work after acquired brain injury: A patient perspective. Brain Injury, 26, 1574–1585. Mohr, D. C., Eaton, J. L., McPhaul, K. M., & Hodgson, M. J. (2015). Does employee safety matter for patients too? Employee safety climate and patient safety culture in health care. Journal of Patient Safety, 1. ReturnToWorkSA, & Castillo, S. D. (2015, July 20). Return to work scheme. Retrieved May 10, 2016, from https://www.rtwsa.com/about-us/return-to-work-scheme Work Cover NSW. (2010). Guidelines for workplace return to work programs. Retrieved from https://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/18305/guidelines_for_workplace_rtw_programs_2872.pdf Appendices: Source: http://www.workcover.wa.gov.au/resources/forms-publications/employer-forms/ Return to Work Program Worker Details Employer Details Insurer Details Medical Details Return to Work Program Worker Details Employer Details Insurer Details Medical Details Appendices Read More