return to work specialist helping workplace parties remove barriers to return to work 20th annual schedule 2 employ

1. RETURN TO WORK SPECIALIST Helping Workplace Parties Remove Barriers to Return to Work Presented by Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB)

3. 1. Why Did We Change? Achieving the Road to Zero In 2007, the WSIB established a new five-year strategic plan called the Road to Zero representing our commitment to the elimination of all workplace injuries, illnesses and fatalities. The New Service Delivery Model (NSDM) is the next criticalstep leading to the Road to Zero with increased prevention support, strengthened service excellence and financial sustainability, and improved return to work and recovery outcomes. Better Support for Workers and Employers The increasing human and financial costs of workplace injuries and illnesses to workers and employers are unacceptable. We need to enhance service excellence and provide better support for prevention and successful return to work and recovery.

4. 2. What�s Different? Redesigned Roles for Frontline Staff (People) Greater frontline specialization, focus and expertise Increased capacity to provide RTW assistance in the workplace Revised Approach to Case Management (Process) Increased personal communication and information gathering More timely decision-making Earlier intervention in RTW and Health Care processes

5. 3. Support for the Road to Zero In supporting the Road to Zero, the NSDM establishes a collaborative case management approach to frontline service delivery focused on prevention and return to work and recovery goals. Case management sets these return to work and recovery goals through an action plan approved by all workplace parties. Standardized case management practices include enhanced personal communications, appropriate interventions, timelier decision-making, and greater accountability and performance measurement.

6. 4. How is the NSDM Experience Different for Workers and Employers? Workers and employers will experience a more personalized level of service and proactive case management. WSIB staff will facilitate the setting of return to work and recovery goals and the development of action plans. Workers and employers will have greater involvement in their return to work and recovery plan. Workers will experience improvements in timeliness of benefit decisions and assistance with health care and Labour Market Re-Entry services.

7. 4. How is the NSDM Experience Different for Workers and Employers? (Continued) Employers will have improved access to prevention and return to work services at the worksite. Employers will receive more efficient and consistent service on their account issues through streamlined activities and dedicated roles within the Employer Service Centre.

8. How Are Services Being Delivered?

10. The RTW Goal The RTW goal in case management is to return the worker to safe and sustainable work based on the following hierarchy: Return to pre-injury job (starting point and overall goal) with incident employer Return to pre-injury job accommodated with incident employer Return to work comparable in nature and earnings to the pre-injury job (with accommodation if required) with incident or new employer Return to alternate work (with accommodation if required) with incident or new employer

11. The RTWS Role In cases when the worker and employer are experiencing difficulty in setting up a RTW plan or the plan is not progressing as initially laid out, the RTWS is an expert resource available to the workplace parties (WPP�s) through the case manager. The primary objective of the RTWS is to lead the early and safe return to work (ESRTW) process in those cases that will benefit from a worksite intervention, helping the parties to minimize obstacles and concentrating on achieving a positive RTW outcome.

12. The RTWS Role � cont�d They want to help Their role is to facilitate - they won�t come armed with all the history, but get the parties talking about what�s actually happening and what the issues are They can become involved at any time and understand the importance of acting with urgency Know when to suspend judgement; when to listen; when to question; when to support; and when to drive the process Use their skills to draw out the relevant information

13. Facilitating RTW To facilitate RTW, the RTWS will: Collect Information To assess, position and understand the RTW obstacles in face-to-face meetings and draw out any non claims-related issues Guide, influence and drive The RTW process to assist workplace parties to collectively identify solutions to RTW obstacles

14. Facilitating RTW � cont�d Inform and educate The worker and employer during the RTW process, to ensure that they meet their co-operation and re-employment obligations Facilitate resolution To help resolve disputes when education and guidance have not resulted in successful RTW

15. RTWS Responsibilities To ensure that the RTW obstacles are understood and there is an opportunity for the worker and employer to be heard and participate in the RTW direction, the RTWS will: - invite all necessary parties, including the union if appropriate, to discuss and negotiate RTW options - explain their role - lead collaborative conversations by asking probing questions - involve the in workplace parties in assessing RTW obstacles and opportunities and facilitate discussion to ensure agreement �

16. RTWS Responsibilities � cont�d With the intention of removing RTW obstacles and leveraging opportunities, the RTWS will: use facilitation, negotiation, motivational, influencing and problem solving skills to generate options and identify possible solutions facilitate discussion between the worker and employer to resolve disputes utilize an ergonomist when job design issues are the RTW barrier

17. RTWS Responsibilities � cont�d To expedite RTW by co-ordinating and implementing activities, the RTWS will: - determine if any interventions are required to overcome RTW obstacles - remove any obstacles at the worksite to enable a RTW - communicate the plan to the WPP�s and the case manager - implement the RTW activities

18. The Workplace Parties (WPP�s) The goal of the early and safe return to work (ESRTW) process is to return the worker to employment that is suitable and available, and if possible, restores the worker�s earnings. The WPP�s are expected to co-operate with each other in the ESRTW process by maintaining communication and working towards identifying a suitable and available job for the worker.

19. The WPP�s � cont�d The worker, the employer, and (when applicable) the union are still considered to be best placed to develop their own return to work solutions. In most cases, the WSIB is not involved in the ESRTW process, except to communicate to the WPP�s their statutory obligations, monitor activities, determine compliance with the obligations to co-operate and re-employ, and provide dispute resolution. But when the specifics of a particular case or circumstance require a more in-depth involvement of the WSIB, many of the new or redefined roles in the New Service Delivery Model are designed to provide optimal assistance to help the parties achieve their return to work goals.

20. Questions?