Return-to-Work Programs: What Nonprofit Employers Need to Know Before and After a Workplace Injury

As an employer, there are few things worse than having an employee get injured on the job, but there are several things that you can do for you and your injured employee to help them navigate returning to work, both before and after an injury happens.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin

Before an Injury

The first step is prevention. Workplace injuries are preventable, and building a strong safety culture means being prepared before an accident ever happens. A good place to start is to establish a return-to-work program and include those policies in your onboarding packets for new employees. From there, designating a coordinator with the authority to facilitate return-to-work makes a big difference, as does taking the time to document the physical requirements for every position in your organization.

Create a return-to-work culture where you and top management are on the same page about the benefits of return-to-work and streamline the process so everyone knows their roles and responsibilities should an injury occur. Next, discuss this with your employees to raise awareness that a return-to-work option exists after a serious injury and clarify the expectations for the process.

A return-to-work plan truly benefits everyone. It allows your employees to preserve their job and financial security; it keeps them engaged in your organization while they are in recovery, which helps maintain a positive working relationship; and it shows that you recognize their contribution to your nonprofit business. As the employer, it also helps you to keep a valued employee, reduces the cost and time in hiring and training new personnel, and provides the opportunity for reimbursement through the Stay at Work Program.

Identifying light-duty roles that an injured employee can step into, ideally with their input, helps keep workers connected and productive during recovery. It’s also worth creating Grab-and-Go packets that employees can bring to their medical provider at the time of injury, and L&I offers free templates to help you get started. If you’d like support in building a return-to-work program tailored to your organization, you can email [email protected] to request a consultation to help remove barriers so your employees can keep their jobs.

After an Injury

As soon as an injury occurs, have your employee seek medical attention and provide them with the Grab-and-Go packet for their medical provider. For severe or catastrophic injuries, L&I has a phone line at 1-800-423-7233 that should be called within 8 hours of the incident to report it. From there, use L&I’s Fast File to submit your portion of the Report of Accident.

Stay in touch with your employee throughout the process, let them know that return-to-work is available to them, and ask them for any work restrictions their provider has given. Since providers bill L&I for return-to-work consultations, you are also allowed to reach out to the provider or employee directly to review the job in which they were injured, discuss available light-duty tasks, and gather any additional medical restrictions.

Once a medical provider has approved the nature of the work, prepare and formally offer your employee a light-duty position. Be sure to document this the same way you would a traditional job offer, including the job title, supervisor, schedule, salary and benefits, location, start date, and contact information. Finally, conduct your own investigation into how the accident occurred and determine what solutions can prevent it from happening again, making sure to document your findings in the Incident Investigation Report.

When a serious injury occurs, the disruption can cause important steps to be overlooked. That’s why planning ahead matters. As Benjamin Franklin suggested, prevention is preferred, but a strong safety culture and a clear return-to-work plan helps keep your employees supported and your mission moving forward.

Learn more at Lni.wa.gov.