Helping injured employees return to work
Many injured workers are unable to return to their regular jobs until after they have completely recuperated. But with a commitment to temporary modified duty, you can help your injured workers remain a productive part of your work environment.

What is temporary modified duty?
Temporary modified duty is a short-term assignment that matches an injured employee’s medical restrictions with temporary, light-duty tasks — lasting only until they are able to return to their regular jobs. Modified duty enables injured employees to continue working while they recover.

Virtually every workplace has light-duty tasks. These light-duty tasks may be performed by several different people – or they may be useful tasks that no one has time to do. Take into account the skills of the employee and their specific medical restrictions, and then match the employee to any light-duty tasks that are available. (Your claims adjuster can help you with any local regulatory requirements.) Modified duty doesn’t have to be full-time. Your company can still realize the benefits of modified duty through part-time and even intermittent tasks.

So what’s in it for the employer?
Keeping injured employees connected to the work environment is your tool for controlling workers’ compensation costs. Through temporary modified duty:

• Injured employees stay active and recover more quickly.
• Injured employees return to work faster.
• Coworkers will see that every team member is valued.
• Insurance costs are kept to a minimum, keeping your company more competitive.
• Your employees stay focused on returning to their regular jobs as soon as possible, based on approval from their medical provider. By keeping modified duty task-oriented, you prevent modified duty from becoming a full-time job.

Core material provided by LynchRyan, a management consulting firm specializing in workers' compensation cost controls.