“There’s a time to every purpose under Heaven,” or at least so the book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew bible memorably says.
It’s a phrase that has inspired thought and reflection for centuries about the passage of time and the seasons of our lives.
If you were injured on the job and have been collecting workers’ compensation, the season of your time away from work may be winding down. In this post, let’s consider what you may face as the time your return to work draws near.
As we noted in our article on employers’ return-to-work policies, much will depend on the policy of your employer towards such returns.
If you are still struggling with some aspects of your work injury, one issue you may face is the need for certain accommodations from your employer.
Do not be timid about requesting such accommodations if you need them in order to return to work. As long as they are reasonable, you are probably perfectly within your rights in requesting them.
Whether you need such accommodations or not, there is no doubt that for many people returning to work after a job injury can be difficult. It is generally not an easy transition for anyone.
Just as it wasn’t easy to be off of work for so long with your injury, it isn’t easy to go back either. After all, even for someone who likes their job, work in our high-performance culture can be a stressful activity.
But again, the specifics of your situation will depend a lot on what type of return-to-work policy your employer has and how it is implemented. For example, some companies may try to force employees to return too quickly. They may even try to do this before an employee has reached maximum medical recovery.
