Returning your worker to work is very important.

First, it's good for workers…

Staying home until completely recovered is often not the best thing for your injured worker to do – returning to work with the doctor's consent, is an important part of recovery for many people. If your worker is away from work for a long time they can experience such negative effects as family relationship breakdowns, poor health, social isolation and depression – so it's important to get them back to work as soon as possible.

Second, it’s good for business...

Returning your injured worker to work is also good for business, as it enables you to:

• maintain the skills and contribution of experienced or highly trained workers who know your organisation and contribute to your competitive edge
• demonstrate a commitment to your workforce and send a message that recovery and rehabilitation of workers is important and desirable

So it makes sense that we focus on helping injured workers return to workplaces, once they have the capacity and the doctors permission to do so.

With a positive approach and the right support, injured workers can recover and return to normal life.

And thats also good for our State and its economy. Helping improve South Australias return to work rates is everyones responsibility and we all have a role to play.

Avoid blaming anyone for the injury – instead look at how to prevent future injuries and stay focussed on helping the worker to recover and return to work.

A workplace culture that is unsupportive and suspicious of injury reports is more likely to have higher workers compensation costs than one which is supportive. Avoid blaming anyone as it can create a culture of under-reporting of potentially dangerous situations in your workplace, and you may have more injuries because you're not dealing with the risks.

Make sure all levels of management, from the top down, follow agreed policies. Ensure your actions reassure workers that they will be supported if they are injured, and that making a claim will not negatively impact their employment.

Keep in touch with your worker and keep yourself informed of their treatment and expected recovery time. Phone or visit them (to show that you care), keep them up to date on news of the office or worksite, or invite them to meetings, morning teas or social events. Reassure them that they are welcome back at work when they are ready and that the team is keen to have them back.

Ask co-workers and workmates to stay in touch too. They could phone, visit or text. They might feel they don’t know what to say to the worker who is injured but reassure them that it doesn’t really matter. It could be a chat about the footy tips or some news that is going around. It’s making the effort that counts and any positive contact is helpful.

Keep focussed on what your worker can do - even with medical restrictions, there are often plenty of things they can do. Remember you are obligated to find suitable employment for your worker. They may return full-time or part-time and they may do some of the duties they used to do or some alternative duties. Remember your case manager, your worker, your rehabilitation and return to work coordinator (if you have one), your worker's health providers and/or their vocational rehabilitation provider will all help you find suitable employment.

Note: If you cannot provide suitable employment for the worker, you must let Employers Mutual know immediately. Failure to provide suitable employment may result in prosecution with a fine of up to $25,000.

Make any changes necessary to your workplace to ensure they are safe and comfortable. Also, make sure that all staff dealing with your injured worker are aware of their impending return to work including if they are returning on modified duties or reduced hours. Let staff know how important it is for the worker’s recovery, and that the doctor has given them advice that this should take place. If co-workers are not well-informed, they can jump to conclusions that the injured worker is getting special treatment, or just being lazy.

When your worker returns to work you should regularly touch base on how they are going and if there are any problems that you can resolve to make their return to work successful. Ensure the supervisor keeps you informed of your workers progress and you are aware of when they are going for treatment and/or medical review.

Workers may need ongoing medical or healthcare treatment (such as physiotherapy or psychology) even after they have returned to work. It is important you support this and do everything you can to let the worker know you are committed to their recovery and rehabilitation. Your support and encouragement is crucial to the return to work process.