Control Activities: D.26 Return to Work Program Assessment
Step 1: Set Standards
‘Standards’ are written statements outlining expectations, policies, procedures and
or rules that tell everyone in the workplace what to do and when.
Standards provide the ‘bar’ or ‘starting point’ against which you can assess:
- How effective your RTW Program is in terms of meeting the organizations economic and social objectives.
- What the gaps are and what improvements can be made to the current program
How do you set a standard for RTW Program Assessment?
For RTW Program Assessment, since it is not legislated, a workplace may set its own standards in the form of rules, policies and procedures.
Things that the standard should include are:
What type of assessment will be conducted or used:
- Process evaluation: Process evaluation answers the question of why or why not the program is achieving its goals and objectives. It is usually based on qualitative measures such as observation, interviews and focus groups that will provide first hand insight to how the program and process is working. It examines the way things are being done. Are the process's effective and is there little waste of time and resources? (Communication, information flow, policy development, assistive technology and accommodations, collection of data)
- Outcome based: This type of evaluation answers the question of whether or not the goals and objectives of the RTW program have been met. Outcome evaluations are usually based on quantitative (numerical) measures such as claim duration, are more people returning to work or sooner than was previously the case, have RTW costs been decreased along with injury rates?
A cost-benefit analysis for the RTW program would form part of the outcome evaluation. It would compare the cost of the program to the compared benefits.
- RTW Self Assessment (WSIB) This would include process and outcome based evaluation.
What types of measures or objectives will be used:
- Quantitative(performance indicators such as injury/illness data and claim duration and cost, type, return to work outcome)
- Qualitative (employée satisfaction Survey, focus groups etc.)
- Method for data collection
Who is responsible for conducting the assessment(specific roles and responsibilities)
- Human resources
- A joint multi-disciplinary committee
When will the assessment take place? How frequently will the assessment occur?
- E.g. Annually
The purpose of the assessment
What sources/resources (man-hours) will be required to conduct the assessment
Date the standard becomes effective and who it covers
Step 2: Communicate
Communicating standards means that the employer ensures that all appropriate
people in their workplace have a clear understanding of what is expected of them
during the RTW program assessment.
Communication increases awareness of Return to work program and the purpose of assessment in your organization. It alsoencourages employees to tell you their perceptions and experiences about the program and how it can be improved.
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What needs to be communicated?
The purpose of the RTW Program assessment
When the assessment will be taking place
Who is participating in the RTW program assessment( List of key stakeholders/ members of the multi-disciplinary committee)
What components of the RTW program will be assessed and the process or methods that will be used (data, surveys, focus groups etc.)
How should you communicate?
Communication can happen through various ways, including training, notices on
bulletin boards, e-mail, team meetings, safety talks, newsletters, memos, JHSC meetings)
To whom should you communicate?
You need to communicate to all key stakeholders involved in the RTW program. This could include:Employees, management, union, physicians, insurance providers, human resources etc
Maintain copies of communication records (e.g., notices, memos,
etc.) as part of your documentation.
Make communication two-way – give information and
ask for feedback.
Make adjustments when employees offer good suggestions and then show them how you used theirsuggestions.
Vary the ways that you communicate so that new information is noticed and does not become mundane.
When should you communicate?
Communication should take place at least one month prior to solicit volunteers to participate in the employee focus groups and be part of the joint multi-disciplinary committee
Communication should take place just shortly before the assessment to remind employees/management of when the assessment will take place and to continue to raise awareness of the RTW program
Step 3: Training
Training means that management, supervisors and workers all attain the knowledge
and skills appropriate for conducting the RTW program assessment.Those involved with conducting the assessment should:
Be familiar with OHSA
Be familiar with the WSIA
Be familiar with the RTW program and policies/procedures
Have some knowledge of why the RTW program assessment is needed
Have some knowledge of Disability Management principles(helpful but not mandatory)
Understand their role and responsibilities when conducting the assessment
Have some knowledge/ability of how to conduct effective interviews/focus groups
Workplace training takes place in many different ways such as in planned training sessions, online e-learning and one to one. The training should follow some basic guidelines such as:
Follows adult learning principles.
Is delivered so it allows your employees to benefit most. For example, classroom
training works where group discussion and sharing of ideas is important.
Includes opportunities to practice and demonstrate what is learned.(facilitation of group discussions, interviews etc)
Computer-based training works where independent learning is needed.
What training should be done?
Training of your standards for this element must be provided to those who have
responsibility and accountability for conducting the RTW program assessment.This should include how to analyzethe information to recommend program improvements.
For example:
Statistical analysis-Training to support understanding of what RTW program performance indicators exist and how to interpret this data
Improved knowledge and awareness of Return to Work best practices(Disability Management principles) and how to incorporate these into a RTW program
Understanding how to conduct a thorough assessment (how to use the RTW assessment guide, what the questions are looking for and what documentation is used to support answering yes)
For any training provided, you should:
Keep written records of who was trained in what and when.
Vary the ways that you do training to help keep it interesting.
Use visual aids and real-life case studies as tools for learning.
Discuss your training needs with other group members to create opportunities
to share resources or minimize costs
Look at training availability through your Health and Safety Association and or other institutions that can improve the quality of the assessment activities.
Consider train-the-trainer courses, so you can have a qualified trainer to deliver
programs on-site.
Step 4: Evaluate
Check to see that the assessment conducted in the workplace meets the standards.
There are many ways to evaluate. As a result of conducting a RTW Program assessment, some key questions to ask might be:
Were performance or procedure gaps identified? How were these documented?
Were the results of the assessment shared with the organization?
Was a benchmark for performance developed as a result of the RTW program assessment? Was this compared against industry performance and or legislation? Were the results used to develop specific objectives for the RTW program?
Did employee awareness and participation increase as a result of the RTW Assessment? Did management awareness and support increase as a result of the assessment?
Did we obtain feedback from the multi-disciplinary committee as to the process?-Was it too long? Too complicated? Was the level of documentation appropriate? Did it miss any key information?
Were there any skills or knowledge gaps that could have been resolved through training?
In terms of evaluating the performance of the RTW program, you should consider the following:
Who-Everyone needs to be included in the evaluation. Representation from both labour and management will ensure that a balanced perspective of the RTW program is obtained.
What-quantitative data or qualitative data-Quantitative data would include performance indicators such as claim duration, RTW outcomes (pre-accident, modified etc) Qualitative data would include employee/supervisor surveys-There are a number of online anonymous surveys that can be utilized at no additional cost
Where-High level information on performance should be shared with staff-a lunch room or newsletter to continue to engage employees in the process and allow them to understand the importance of how RTW impacts a company’s performance
When--At the very least annually. However, some of the statistical performance indicators such as claim duration should be run at least monthly/quarterly to pick up on any trends
How-Performance indicator reports can be generated by the firm for injury type, causes, claim duration, RTW outcome, and time periods to RTW etc. There are also performance reports available through the WSIB to assist with developing internal evaluations
NEER performance should only used as one aspect of evaluating the RTW performance
Employee surveys-online, written, one to one etc can encourage constructive feedback on the RTW program-some firms encourage participation by holding monthly draws for prizes etc
When do you evaluate?
To determine how effective the RTW program assessment was, will require that a follow up assessment be conducted. This should take place at least annually and the results compared against the initial assessment/benchmark to determine RTW program improvements or ongoing gaps that require action. The evaluation component should take place at the very least the following year by March 31 to meet Safety group requirements.
Step 5: Acknowledge Success and Make Improvements
Based on the results of your evaluation, acknowledge and congratulate those who
have contributed to improving yourRTW program and contributed to the RTW program assessment.
Demonstrate your commitment asan employer by taking action to correct and improve any weak areas.
You can accomplish this in various ways, including:
Public recognition of the firm’s overall performance and improvements.
Employee recognition.
Public recognition of individual contributions to improved performance.
Incentive programs.
Performance appraisals.
When evaluation indicates a need for improvement, you can use co-operative
mechanisms to significantly improve your company’s performance. Your objectives
might include:
Raise the accountability and expectations for RTW program outcomes
Set performance indicators that exceed industry standards (e.g. claim durations, costs etc).
Improve application of the RTW Program policies and procedures through regular audits and feedback
Improving the RTW Assessment score with a goal of achieving 100 %
Including as many people as possible within the workplace to ensure an accurate representation of the program
Another example is to can encourage the development of teams to solve RTW problems and setcompany standards. Teams may be of any size and composition. They may include management,supervisors, lead hands, Joint Health and Safety Committee members, health
and safety representatives, health and safety professionals, WSIB representatives, supplier
representatives, employees and others appropriate to the issue or problem at hand.
Recognition or acknowledgment of success might include:
Send a letter from the owner/seniormanagement congratulating all staff for theircontribution to the RTW program assessment and or improvements made to the RTW program
Run an article in the company newsletterhighlighting successes.
Include commendations in minutes ofannual meeting.Keep everyone informed of the plans for improving the RTW program by including it on the agenda at management, team and JHSC meetings.
Train more people to do assessments
Inspection Element
Make sure you keep written records of all steps of the five-step management system for Safety Groupsdocumentation and spot checks.
Inspection Element