Workers > What next? > Returning to work

Returning to work

Staying at home until completely recovered is often not the best thing for injured workers.
Research shows that returning to work with the consent of your doctor, even on restricted
duties, is an important part of recovery for many people.*

Return to work means you have gone back to work in your old job or another job, either less than or at your usual hours, as a regular wage earner. It’s important to keep in touch with your boss if you are away from work. A return to work can also be with a different employer and is not limited to the work you did before your injury.

Once you return to work, you may not be able to do all the things you did before your injury and you may be earning less. In this case, you may be entitled to payments to 'top up' your usual earnings (referred to as average weekly earnings). If you have a permanent loss of body function (permanent impairment), you may also be eligible for lump sum compensation.

During the course of your claim, you may be asked to work with a workplace rehabilitation consultant, who will help you get back to work.

Your employer must notify Employers Mutual within 14 days of you returning to work. If you return to work with a new employer, you need to let your case manager know.

Returning injured or sick workers, once well, to safe workplaces is the main goal of everyone in the workers rehabilitation and compensation system.

*Reference: Gerdtham + Johannesson Journal of Health Economics 22, 2003

Tips for injured workers away from work

  • Stay in touch with your work mates.
  • Talk to your boss – ask about alternative duties and suitable work.
  • Stay active – continue with your usual activities as much as you can.
  • Accept help from your family and friends – talk about how they can help you.
  • Stay positive – focus on what you can do rather than what you can’t.

Hints for getting back to and staying at work

Ask your health care professional to detail the work you can and can't do on your WorkCover Medical Certificate (WMC). The list should include details of any limitations (eg, difficulty with bending, lifting with weight restrictions, hours worked or requirements for regular breaks ie, a change in activity.)

Talk to your boss, your work's rehabilitation and return to work coordinator or your occupational health and safety representative about getting you back to work, or helping you in your return to work. Don't feel you can't ask for changes to be made to help you recover.

Your boss should keep in contact with you if you are away from work - if they don't, call them to let them know how you are and when you expect to be back. Talk to them about the parts of your job you think you can do.

If you have some capacity for work, tell your boss, your work's rehabilitation and return to work coordinator or your case manager and ask them about a return to work plan. You could also ask your doctor to call your case manager and talk about your return to work.

If you feel that a workplace rehabilitation consultant may help you stay at work or return to work, talk to your case manager about it - these people are experts in assessing the types of work you normally do and finding solutions to help you work around limitations.

If you have a rehabilitation and return to work plan, it should be followed by you and your employer and regularly reviewed. If your circumstances change, you can request a review of the plan.

You can ask to have a representative or advocate (eg, from a union or your work's rehabilitation and return to work coordinator or health and safety representative) involved in all discussions about your return to work.

 
Did you know?
Expect to get letters about your case from your appointed case manager - talk to them first if you have any queries or don't understand something.