Why is flexibility important in rehabilitation?
Flexibility on the employer’s part is important to help workers recover. But, the employee must be flexible, too. People get out of the habit of going to work. If they stay in that groove, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to get back to a regular work schedule. But the employer should avoid demanding that a worker come back full time, doing all the work he or she did before. This can create difficulties for a recovering worker, and you end up with an adversarial relationship. Start with a modified schedule or modified duties. In the end, you’ll have a happier employee who gets back to full productivity sooner. Are there mental/emotional concerns as well as physical ones? Definitely. The less satisfied and less empowered employees feel, the more likely they are to prolong their period of unemployment and not return to work. Most workers who are off the job will experience frustration. Being off work is stressful it is financially and emotionally difficult. Most people want to
