What is Early Return to Work program?
Early return to work program is designed to get employees who have been out of work due to injury or illness to come back to the work sooner by giving them easier jobs until they regain their full capacity.
Early-Return-to-Work program definition
An Early Return to Work (ERTW) program is a workplace strategy designed to help employees who have been injured or are recovering from illness to return to work more quickly and safely by giving them easier jobs until they regain their full capacity.
The process of an ERTW program
1. Appointing someone to run the program.
2. Writing a policy statement in non-contractual terms.
3. Announcing the policy to all employees.
4. Assessing work assignments to see which might be transitional jobs.
5. Deciding acceptable wage levels for transitional duty assignments.
6. Contacting the company's medical providers to communicate that ERTW is available.
7. Keeping records to track all efforts and contacts with the recovering employee.
8. Reviewing program with legal counsel to help ensure compliance with applicable laws.
Benefits of an ERTW program
- Lower workers' compensation costs
- Decreased employee time away from work
- Reduced turnover
- Strengthened employee relations
- Boosted employee morale
- Improved productivity
- Stronger work ethic