Workshop on Return-to-Work Interventions:
Developing effective approaches to
workplace reintegration
Pre-Conference Workshop

Presented by Lancaster House and the University of Toronto,
Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources

Monday, October 25, 2010
Full-Day Interactive Session
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel
123 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON, M5H 2M9

A fast and safe return-to-work is advantageous both to employers, allowing them to maintain a stable and well-trained workforce, and to workers, allowing them to resume their normal lives after an injury. However, return-to-work can be a long and, at times, complicated process. In this day-long workshop, participants will work through a mock return-to-work intervention which will equip you with the tools you need to address the challenges of a successful return-to-work intervention with innovative and collaborative strategies. The following issues will be addressed:

• Offering Accommodated Positions: How should employers and employees determine appropriate timing of return-to-work? Who is responsible for correctly determining a worker's restrictions and capabilities? What factors, outside of skill and functional ability, help determine a position's suitability? Is the worker's ability to travel to the position a factor? The effect of medication? If there are no suitable positions readily available, must employers bundle duties and create suitable positions? What are the employer's responsibilities when a worker is cut off WSIB benefits? What are the employer's procedural obligations in this case?
• Obtaining Medical Information: What kind of information can be requested without encroaching on the worker's privacy rights? What information should an employer provide to a doctor in order to obtain a medical opinion about suitable work? What steps can employers take if the medical information submitted is not credible?
• Identifying Barriers: What are the "red flags" in medical reports that can signify a particularly complex return-to-work situation? What are the psychological barriers to return-to-work? What type of intervention can be used to overcome such barriers?
• Cooperation: How can workers and employers work together to prepare for return-to-work and to identify opportunities and potential issues? What is the role of the WSIB in this process?
• Mental Health: What are the particular challenges in developing a successful return-to-work strategy in the case of a worker who is suffering from mental illness? If the worker's leave was preceded by episodes of violence or harassment perpetrated by the worker, what strategies are available to aid in successfully reintegrating that worker into the workplace? Does the employer have a responsibility to educate co-workers about the nature of mental illness?
• Remedies: If a worker is dissatisfied with the assistance he or she was provided by the union in the return-to-work process, is any remedy available? What can a worker do if an employer offers inappropriate or unsafe work?
• Status of Workers in Accommodated Positions: How are benefits affected when an employee returns to a modified position? When is a change from a full-time to a part-time position warranted? How should transfers and promotions be handled?