Canadian Safety Reporter

3 Disability management programs: Employer challenges turned opportunities Formalization and integration key elements of an effective disability management program for an organization BY DIANNE DYCK TOO MANY employee absences can weaken an employer's foun- dation, leaving concerns over smooth business operation and a strong and consistent work- place culture. But there are ways employers can minimize the im- pact of the inevitable bumps in the road caused by absences and modified work that employee disabilities can present — such as effective disability management programs. According to Statistics Cana- da, in 2015 unionized full-time employees missed 1.9 times more workdays than their non- unionized counterparts. Public sector employees missed 1.6 times more workdays (12.7) than employees in the private sec- tor (7.8). Women missed more workdays (11.1) than men (7.3). These findings are historically consistent. In Canada, as women are the major caregivers — a responsi- bility according to a 2013 study on family caregiving by Turcotte that is associated with psycho- logical and physical illness, and even injury. The Statistics Can- ada data indicate that women experience more work absence days due to personal or family responsibilities, and when they do get ill or injured, they carry on with their responsibilities, thereby delaying recovery. Older workers miss more workdays than younger work- ers. Today, more than 20 per cent of Canadian workers are over 60 years of age. Jan Chap- pel, senior technical specialist at the Canadian Centre for Occu- pational Health and Safety, indi- cates in the September issue of Canadian Occupational Safety that although older workers do not get injured more often, they take longer to recover. As well, the nature of injury differs. Older workers experience more musculoskeletal and time-ac- cumulation injuries along with chronic health conditions; all difficult to rehabilitate resulting in costly absences. Obtaining relevant fitness-to-work information Employers, as per Canadian hu- man rights legislation, have a legal duty to inquire about the nature of the employee's real or perceived disability, along with the related prognosis, expected return-to-work date, and pos- sible residual work limitations. This means a need for suitable communication vehicles, such as a policy on early intervention and case management, a report of absence form, a Job Demands Analysis of the employee's "own job," and a Functional Abilities Form. Many employers do not use these tools. Without the above informa- tion, the provision of reasonable accommodation is challenging, if not impossible. Psychological disabilities The incidence of psychological disabilities and disorders has increased in our society; the workplace mirrors this occur- rence. These costly disabilities ($18,000 per claim as estimated by the Centre for Addictions and Mental Health) are estimated to be twice the price of physical disability situations ($9,000) and more challenging to resolve be- cause of: • Employees trying to work through a psychological illness/injury. • The difficulty in getting the right treatment. • The lack of psychologically safe and healthy workplaces. • Having employee support services positioned as standalone, "siloed" programs as opposed to being integrated. Time lags in medical care Medical time lags are common, especially in rural and remote areas. A related issue occurs when an attending physician conservatively treats the em- ployee's illness or injury, despite little evidence of recovery. The outcomes are lengthy work ab- sences and delayed return-to- work experiences. Having access to a disability management ser- vice provider can facilitate care though the availability of their network of healthcare practi- tioners. Unfortunately, few em- ployers have arranged for this type of mitigation. Conflicting medical opinions Why is this a common occur- rence? Healthcare practitioners receive a one-sided viewpoint of the "job" and work environ- ment. Many employers just accept a "medical certificate" as opposed to providing the healthcare practitioner with a Job Demands Analysis of the employee's job, and requesting that a Functional Abilities Form be completed. Secondly, the right information is often being asked from the wrong health- care practitioner. Physicians treat and cure, but are limited in their ability to quantify the em- ployee's physical or psychologi- cal capabilities. If seeking that type of information, the Func- tional Abilities Form should be sent to a physiotherapist, oc- cupational therapist or psycho- logical counsellor. Competent disability management case managers can facilitate employ- er access to timely and accurate medical information. Understanding the cost of disability Only a few Canadian employers know the real cost of disability. Why? According to a 2013 Con- ference Board of Canada report, just 54 per cent of employers track employee casual absences, and a 2007 survey by Hewitt Associates revealed only 27 per cent track employee disability; a 2011 Towers-Watson survey re- vealed even fewer employers (22 per cent) use that information to determine the related costs, outcomes and impact. Hence, a small number of Canadian employers use targeted preven- tion and mitigation strategies to effectively address medical absences. Vendor risk management Many employers outsource all or part of their Disability Man- agement Program, without un- derstanding that they retain the related liability and responsibil- ity to accommodate the disabled employee. Employer opportunities To turn these challenges into op- portunities, the employer must understand the issues, provide leadership, and create a support- ive corporate culture and work environment. Upstream action is extremely effective at prevent- ing unwanted downstream con- sequences: Adopt a joint labour-man- agement approach to atten- dance control and disability management. Employers work- ing with their unions can design, implement, evaluate and contin- uously improve their attendance control and disability manage- ment efforts. Formalize the Disability Management Program (DMP). The "cornerstones" of a Disability Management Program include: • Early intervention — An employer-initiated response aimed at keeping the ill or injured employee connected to the workplace and preventing medical absence in the first place. Early intervention decreases the number of sick days and increases the likelihood of successful and Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2017 News | February 2017 | CSR Co-operation > pg. 7

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