Return to Work

The Accessible Employment Standard requires that employers follow a return to work process for employees who have been off work due to a disability, and that employers provide reasonable workplace accommodations upon their return.

A return to work policy is a proactive way to help employees with disabilities and health conditions to stay at work, or return to work as soon as it is safe to do so. This typically involves modifying and graduating employee duties and hours at work, according to their functional abilities.

What can you do to meet this requirement?

• Introduce a return to work policy that ensures reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities by modifying duties and work schedules based on their abilities.
• In your policy, include a description of the process that your organization follows to determine the accommodations necessary for a safe and healthy return to work. For example, who will communicate with the employee, and when will the communication occur?
• Let The Workers Compensation Act (opens in new tab) guide your return to work policy and practices. Visit Workers Compensation Board, Manitoba (opens in new tab) for more information.

Tips

• Show that you value your employees by maintaining contact throughout a leave of absence.
• To ensure the long term health and safety of your employees, modify duties in a way that best reflects the employees’ abilities.
• Create a return to work plan tailored to meet the employees’ needs and provide meaningful and productive work.
• Ensure supervisors and co-workers support employees who have been absent due to a disability or health condition.
• Remember, an illness or injury can happen to any of us. All employees will appreciate that your organization has a return to work policy.